


First Love

by wapaksoccet13



Series: The Ups and Downs of Love [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-12-07 01:26:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 48,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11613045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wapaksoccet13/pseuds/wapaksoccet13
Summary: It's been four months since Amon's attack on Republic City, and Asami Sato is getting ready to start her first year at college. Her relationship with the Avatar, Korra Spark, couldn't be better, and her friendships are even stronger. When someone makes an unexpected return, will Asami be ready for the consequences they bring?





	1. Life after Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What could be harder than running a company and on the verge of starting college? Asami's about to find out.

The plane rolled to the left then rolled back to the right.  It leveled off, and there seemed to be no problems.  A smile appeared on my face.   _Excellent.  The engine is working better than expected._ I began to steer the plane back towards the airstrip located deep in the mountains behind the Sato Mansion.  My name is Asami Sato, and I am now the CEO of my father Hiroshi Sato's company, Future Industries, just four months after my high school graduation.  I have always had a knack for building things, just as my father had before me, whether it be Satomobiles or creating the new engine that the current plane I was piloting featured.  It was one of the things we had shared and kept our family together since we lost my mother when I was six years old.  Never would I have imagined that years later, it would be one of the things to tear our family apart. 

At the beginning of my senior year of high school, we had a young woman transfer to my high school.  Her name was Korra Spark.  Coming from the Southern Water Tribe, she was bubbly, stubborn, and loyal to the friends she made.  She was also the Avatar, a bender who could bend all four elements.  She brought a change to those around her, even my friends and I.  Sometimes that change wasn't always a good thing.  Around the time of Korra's transfer, a group called Equalists made their appearance.  Their goal was to rid the world the Avatar and benders alike.  For a moment, they almost did.  But nothing could stop Korra.  She defeated the Equalists and their leader, Amon, a water-bender himself.  He escaped along with his brother Tarrlok, a former teacher at our high school, and they have been on the run since.  There were several Equalists who were unable to escape during Amon's attempt to take the city, and they were currently on trial for their actions.  One of them was my father. 

Since my mother's death at the hands of the Agni Kai Triad, my father had held onto anti-bender beliefs.  He hid his true feelings behind a mask, and he hid them well.  During my brief relationship with my friend Mako, he sponsored their high school bending teams for a national tournament, even as he would later discredit their success to me when his rouse was revealed.  Amon's machinery, such as gloves that could project electricity and giant mechs that could take down even Republic City's Chief of Police, were created by my father.  Our one first love, the one thing that kept our family together, had now tore us apart.  He remains in jail, and I am left to clean up the image of Future Industries.  I sighed at the memory, trying to shake it from my head as the airstrip came into view.  I looked out to the horizon one last time before the mountains took away the sight, and I smiled at the view of Republic City.  It felt like a relief to know that something that looked unchanged held so many new things. 

The airstrip now in range, I began to lower the plane.  With the Future Industries's image severely damaged, it was now a race to find partners for the company.  With the negative publicity and lack of sales, the company was threating to go bankrupt.  Trying to figure out new ideas to bring in potential partners, I had been working on the development of new projects, one of which was the redesign of the planes my father had built for Amon.  New engine designs, reinforcement of the wings, and a more aerodynamic body build were coming together nicely by all accounts of the current test flight.  I just hoped that it was enough to gauge some interest from suitors. 

The small control tower signaled for my arrival, allowing for me to start pulling out the landing gear.  It was always a trouble spot coming in on the landing, but I had reinforced the arms of the wheels in the last design.  I bit my lip, concentrating on leveling out the plane.  The plane landed with a soft bump, and I released the sigh I had been holding on to.  Turning the plane off, I looked over to see one of the few mechanics who had stayed with the company, Darvy, walking over towards the plane. 

I hopped out of the plane, pulling off my helmet to allow my hair to flow freely down my back. "The planes are finally ready to ship, Darvy," I said with a smile, hoping to ease his worries. 

He looked at the plane, one of thirty, and raised his hand to rub the back of his neck. "I hate to be the one that keeps bringing this up, Asami, but no one wants to work with us because of your father.  We are going to go bankrupt." 

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it.  I've got a meeting set up to help get Future Industries back on top.  I'll make sure everyone and their families are well taken care of." 

The worried expression remained on his face, but he nodded as he turned his attention to the plane.  I continued to smile, even as I left towards the hanger, but a heaviness filled my heart.  What I didn't have the strength to tell him was that this meeting was the last chance for Future Industries.  Juggling the CEO responsibilities and with college just on the horizon was a struggle in thought.  Once my college work began, it was only going to get worse.  I sighed, already dreading the problems that were no doubt going to arise in the next few months. 

As I made my way towards my personal Satomobile, a familiar head appeared from the back seat.  Naga, Korra's large white dog, barked in approval, her doggy smile plastered on her face as she wagged her tail.  She had taken to joining me on my out-of-office trips, and I was grateful for having someone to talk to, even if she couldn't speak to me back.  I smiled as I got into my Satomobile, scratching her jaw as she moved her head between the front seats. "Have a good nap?" 

She barked her response, and I could hear her tail thumb wildly against the back seat.  I chuckled at her, starting the Satomobile and pulling out of the parking lot of the airstrip.  It was a beautiful drive out of the mountains, giving Republic City an even more beautiful scene.  After Amon's attempt at taking over the city, the population was starting to become more accepting of its inhabitants.  Tension was still present, but the non-bending residents were more accepting of their bending counterparts.  Majority of their focus was geared towards the removal of the gangs from Republic City. 

The drive through the city was quick, and a smile quickly grew as the sight of Air Temple Island came into view.  After school let out for the summer, our group had gone in several different directions as different opportunities were presented.  Two of my friends, Bolin and Opal, were still going strong in their relationship, not surprisingly.  With the promotion to varsity team following the graduation of Kuvira, Opal's foster sister, and Mako, Bolin's older brother, Bolin was having a difficult time trying to create a chemistry with his new teammates as Korra had yet to decide on whether she wanted to return or not.  Opal was spending more time with Korra, allowing for her to grow into a more confident and outgoing young woman. 

For those of us that had graduated, life had finally caught up to us.  Mako had found his calling with his new position as a patrol officer under Chief of Police and Opal's aunt, Lin Beifong.  It was harder to include him in gatherings because of his night shifts, but he was working his way towards a position as a detective.  For Kuvira, she had returned to Zaofu, choosing to become the head guardsman to Su Beifong, Opal's mother.  It helped to keep her close to her current beau, Baatar Jr, Opal's older brother. 

Then there was Korra.  Out of all of us, life came at her the hardest in due part to her Avatar responsibilities and the upcoming school year.  Now that she was an Avatar who could bend all four elements, her training with Tenzin had taken a step further as she began to develop her airbending skills.  She often made appearances in Republic City to help with the tension amongst the residents, and her senior year of high school was fast approaching.  Unfortunately, our conflicting schedules made for little plans, but we were still able to see each other on a weekly basis. 

Today was one of those days, and a smile appeared on my face as Air Temple Island came into view.  Because of her increased airbending training, Korra was staying with Tenzin and his family on the island.  I had offered for her to stay with me, but staying on the island allowed for Korra to get more of her training done.  It would have been nice to have someone else in the mansion since the boys' left into their own apartment, but I didn't argue with her decision as I knew how important the Avatar responsibilities were to her.   

The island itself wasn't any less crowded though.  Tenzin's youngest son, Rohan, was born during the attack on Republic City, adding another potential airbender to the world's population, but it wasn't until Tenzin's older brother, former United Republic General Bumi, retired after the Battle for Republic City and moved onto the island with his extended family did the island start to see more action.  Tenzin and Pema were never ones to say no to those who needed assistance, especially to their family, but even I could see the stress Bumi added to Tenzin's shoulders.  It was moments like theirs that I was semi-glad that I was an only child. 

I waved to the ferry dock workers as I drove past them on the docks, heading for the Air Temple Island ferry.  It was almost clockwork for my arrival to the docks.  The trip across the bay wasn't terribly long, but today, my impatience was getting the better of me.  I hurriedly tapped my foot against the bottom of the Satomobile, so much that Naga whined at how impatient I was getting.  I smiled sadly at her, gently scratching underneath her chin in apology, and tried to be more patient in my wait.  As the ferry docked and the sailors gave me the ok, I pulled the Satomobile off the ferry and onto the private path that the air acolytes paved for me.  I pulled into the garage that Tenzin had offered to me for the storage of the Satomobile, and Naga was already out of the vehicle before I could turn it off. 

I chuckled as I followed her out of the garage and towards the stairs that would lead us to the front of the Air Temple.  Halfway towards the top of the stairs, I could hear the sounds of an argument.  I sighed, instantly recognizing the arguing voices as those of Korra and Tenzin.  Since Amon's attack and Korra's discovery of her airbending abilities, she and Tenzin had been butting heads on her studies.  She was more than happy to partake in more studies on airbending if it was focused on the physical aspects of it, but Tenzin continued to push for studies in the mental studies and learning of the bending as well.  Where Korra would want to see how far she could push her abilities, Tenzin would rather see her focus in on learning how she could mentally develop and discover the best way as to use her bending abilities as the Avatar.  There were more times than fingers on my hands that Pema and I had walked into arguments that we soon developed running jokes about them. 

Naga's barking began as she reached the top of the stairs, instantly cutting off the current argument.  I reached the top of the stairs soon after, only to find arms picking me up quickly.  Korra and I laughed as she launched us into the air and spun us around in a circle, my arms quickly finding their way around her neck for support.  I smiled at her as she lowered us back to the ground, Tenzin's children and Naga prancing around us.  Korra set me down on my feet, and I was soon enveloped into smaller hugs that belong to the children:  Jinora, the oldest; Ikki, the second oldest; and Meelo, the oldest boy.  I leaned down and returned their hugs with a large hug of my own. 

"How was work today?" Korra asked, watching as the children stepped back so that I could give her a proper hug. 

I drew her into a tight hug, kissing her cheek. "Good.  The new engine test went off like a charm in the prototypes." 

"Asami!  Asami!" Ikki shouted as she tugged on my jacket. "Korra says we're going to see some festival at the South pole soon!" 

Korra chuckled at the young girl's excitement. "Everyone's going, Ikki.  No one's going to be left behind." 

Ikki looked up at Korra with wide eyes. "Even Mako?" 

Jinora rolled her eyes at her sister's infatuation with our friend before turning her attention to me. "The ship's not to arrive for another couple hours.  Grandma and Aunt Kya are supposed to be meeting us at the port when we arrive." 

Korra brightened at the mention of Kya, Tenzin's older sister and Avatar Aang's middle child, delving into a conversation with Jinora about the women.  From Korra's expressions, the two women had played important parts in her life while she was living down in the South Pole, honing in on the bending abilities that had come so naturally to her.  As I tried to follow them in their conversation, movement behind them caught my attention.  I looked up to see Tenzin and Bumi walking towards the temple, deep in their own discussion as a frown appeared on Tenzin's face.   _Even after_ _Raiko's_ _election, the stress still sits on Tenzin's shoulders as the last_ _airbending_ _master._ The current President, Terrance Raiko, had been elected into office soon after Amon's attack, and the city had yet to fully adjust to the new government in place.  It wasn't until I felt a hand on my shoulder did I realize I had been staring far too long. 

Worry filled Korra's eyes as I turned my attention back to her. "You ok?" 

I smiled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Yeah, sorry.  Ready for dinner?" 

As if on cue, a growl emanated from Korra's stomach.  I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress a laugh, as Korra's cheeks started to blush. "Uh...we should probably head out," she said, trying to avoid my eyes as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. 

I chuckled, taking her hand and dragging her towards the garage. "We'll be back later!" I called over my shoulder to the children. 

They waved at us as Naga stood beside them, barking at our departure.  We went down the stairs as fast as we could, practically jumping into the Satomobile.  I was quick to start it before pulling out and going down the drive towards the dock.  The ride across the bay and back to the Republic City docks didn't feel as long as it had before, but the ride was silent.  It was unusually silent, especially when Korra was in the car. 

"So what was the argument about this time?" I asked, watching as the sailors pulled into the docks.  The workers were quick to tie the ferry to the docks. 

Korra sighed, her hand slowly finding mine as I drove off of the ferry and back onto the docks. "It's the airbending again.  Tenzin wants to take me on this big trip around the world to the Air Nation temples.  It honestly sounds fun, to get out and do some good, but we wouldn't be doing that.  We'd be jumping from temple to temple, learning about the Air Nation and doing just that.  It has nothing to do with today's day and age, and it's not going to help me become a better Avatar." 

"You know he's just trying to get you to be the best Avatar you can be.  The Air Nation lost a lot in the Hundred Year War, so maybe he's just trying to make sure that their history isn't lost to the books," I suggested, gently squeezing her hand as I turned down the street that would lead to Opal's apartment. 

Korra huffed. "If that's the case, then he would let me go out and do actual helping." 

I pulled my Satomobile into a parking spot in front of Opal's apartment, leaning over to kiss Korra's cheek. "That includes going to your classes right?" Korra mumbled an answer of agreement. "Good.  Now come on; let's go eat.  I haven't had anything to eat since lunch, so I'm just as hungry as I'm sure you are." 

When I heard Korra's stomach growl in response, I knew I had won.  I laughed as I got out of the Satomobile, leading the way into Opal's apartment with Korra right on my heels.  The smell of the food had drifted out onto the street, and it was only worse inside the apartment.  Opal insisted on waiting for Mako to show before we started eating, practically torturing poor Bolin and Korra with the smells.  Mako arrived twenty minutes later, apology cupcakes in his hands as he entered the apartment.  The wait was well worth the laughs, the jokes, and eating rivalry between Bolin and Korra that followed.  I could help but think about how lucky I was to have met such great people.  It was in the midst of watching my friends that the thought of Future Industries began to creep into my mind. 

When I had officially taken over as CEO, I knew that I was going to have to put my all into bringing the company back from the edges of the cliff it was currently hanging over.  Yet, I couldn't help but feel hopeful just by watching my friends.  If there was anything that they had taught me over the past year alone was that nothing was impossible.  The boys who had once been orphans were now improving their lives beyond what they thought was possible.  Opal was becoming a more confident woman each and every day.  Korra fought through the mental block to airbend and defeat an enemy that had threatened the lives of Republic City and the balance of the world.  Then there was me, falling in love with the Avatar as I was losing the one idol that I thought I had left in the world.  I was beyond wrong.  I had idols all around me.  I was looked up to just as I looked up to them.  I smiled as I took a drink of my water, watching my friends laughing.   _Anything was possible._  


	2. Arrival to the Southern Water Tribe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and the Krew make their way to the Southern Water Tribe for the Spirit Festival.

The ship that arrived to take us to the South Pole was elegant to say the least.  It was breath-taking to see as we rode the ferry to Air Temple Island later that night.  I didn't need to see Bolin's face to know his reaction; his gasps and excited squeals were enough to tell me how he felt upon seeing the ship.  It became more evident as he was hurriedly trying to get us out of the garage after I parked the Satomobile.  Mako snapped at Bolin's rushing, to which Bolin ignored as he continued.  I looked to Korra with a smile as I took her hand in mine, following the other three towards the docks.  Bumi stood proudly near the ramp to the ship, a smile on his face as he stared up at it.   _I wonder what favor he called in for a ship like this._ I adjusted my bag on my shoulder as we made our way over to Bumi.

Opal was still staring up at the ship as we made our way closer to Bumi. "How did you do this?" She asked.

Bumi turned his head towards the five of us. "I was owed a favor, and I figured I better use it to give you young ones a good time before 'Vacation Tenzin' takes the trip over and makes it boring."  Korra huffed at the mention of 'Vacation Tenzin,' a roll of her eyes emphasizing how much she disliked the idea.

Suddenly, shouting echoed out from the direction of the temple steps, and soon Tenzin's children were rushing down towards us on their air-scooters.  They zoomed past us onto the ramp and into the ship, excited expressions on each of their faces.  I smiled and turned towards back the temple steps to see Tenzin and Pema walking down the stairs, frustration clearly displayed on their faces.  It took everything I had to hold back my chuckle as I watched them make their way towards us.

When I finally noticed that Pema was carrying both Rohan and her bag, I quickly made my way over to her to take the bag out of her hands.  She smiled up at me, nodding her head in thanks as we made our way to join the rest of the group.  Rohan snuggled against his mother, his tuff of brown hair growing day that I saw him.  When work wasn't requiring me to be in the office, I would often volunteer taking Rohan off of Pema's hands for a few hours, allowing for her to get some of her chores done.  It was easily one of my favorite things to do as his laugh was one of the brightest things I've heard outside of Korra's laugh.

Tenzin was the first to head onto the ship, his frustration turning into determination as he went in search of his children.  Pema and I shared a smile as we followed him onto the ship with Korra and Opal right behind us.  We could hear Tenzin shouting at his children to stop airbending on the ship, earning a laugh from Korra, Opal, and I and a sigh from Pema.

She looked at us, her exhausted smile on her face. "You'll have your hands full if your children are benders," she warned before taking her bag from my hand and walking towards Tenzin and her other children.

Her words caused me to freeze for a moment, the thought of children suddenly rushing through my mind.   _Children...a future with..._  I looked towards Korra; she was talking to Opal about Tenzin's children, that smile I loved so much bright on her lips.   _Would she even want...would she want children?  Do I want children?_ I looked down at my hands, lost in my thoughts.   _Could I even have a child?_

"Asami?" Korra's question snapped me out of my thoughts, and I jumped slightly.  Korra and Opal were staring at me with concern. "You ok?"

I quickly smiled at them with a nod. "Yeah, yeah.  Sorry.  I thought I had forgotten some things that needed to be taken care of while I was gone, but I think I was just overthinking it.  That's all."

Korra was unconvinced.  Before she had a chance to argue, a crash sounded through the hold we were standing in.  We turned in the direction just as Bolin shouted, "I didn't do it!" Opal sighed at her boyfriend's clear involvement in the crash, giving us an apologetic smile before going off in search of Bolin.

We watched Opal leave before looking at each other and sharing a small smile.  I could still see the concern in Korra's eyes as they met mine.  I gently took her face in my hands, leaning down to kiss her softly.  Her arms found their way around my waist, and it was the safest I could ever feel. "I'm ok, Korra.  I promise," I whispered against her lips, my arms wrapping around her shoulders.

She nodded, leaning her head against my shoulder. "I trust you, Asami."

I smiled, laying my gently on hers. "I know.  How about we go find our room?"

Her smile at my suggestion made my heart fly, and I couldn't help but laugh with her as we made our way down the hall, bags in hand.  It was only the first night, but I knew it would be a vacation that neither of us forgot.

* * *

 

_Failure...Failure...Failure._

_You've lost everything.  Your family.  Your company.  You_ _cou_ _ldn't_ _even keep_ _Korra_ _around._

_You will lost it all.  Everything will be gone because you weren't strong enough.  You were never strong enough._

_YOU WEREN'T STRONG ENOUGH!_

I woke with a start, sitting up quickly as my heart pounded against my chest.  My eyes were still adjusting to the darkness as I tried scanning the room.  Light was shining through one of the windows in the room, the stars still present in the night sky.  The waves crashed against the walls of the ship as it continued its trip towards the South Pole, unaware of one of its passengers awake and fighting for clarity.  I took several deep breaths, trying to calm my beating heart.  The nightmares had become frequent visitors in the past months.

I looked over at Korra to see she was still asleep.  Her soft snores were the only noises that I could hear outside of the waves from the ocean.  Gently, I moved a piece of her hair out of her face before slowly making my way out of the bed.  Thankfully, Korra remained asleep, but I was quick to dress myself before making my way out onto the deck.

The night was cold, as to be expected for a trip out on the ocean, but it felt colder than I expected it to be.  I assumed that part of this was due to our proximity to the South Pole.  I rubbed my arms, ignoring at ineffective the motion was to warming my arms, as I made my way towards the railing.  I sighed as I thought back to the nightmare; I had yet to bring up the matter to Korra.  I knew she would overreact if I told her about them, and it was the last thing I wanted to do.  She was just getting back to a normalcy that she hadn't seen since before the Equalist movement, and I didn't want to be the one to take away that normalcy.  This vacation was supposed to not only be a relaxing one, a chance to get to know her parents and her culture better, but a chance for me to forget my responsibilities for a small amount of time.

I smiled to myself at the thought of Korra's parents, Senna and Tonraq.  They had been so accepting of our relationship, the complete opposite reaction that my father had given me.  After his incarceration, I ceased any form of contact with him.  Maybe it was because I was still angry at him; maybe it was because I didn't want to face him, the knowledge of his actions still fresh on my mind.  Maybe it was because I didn't want him to know how much I was working to bring back the company from the hole he had thrown it in to.   _Or maybe it was because I'm scared to face the man that had been my everything since I was six years old.  Maybe it's because I fear I'll end up like him._ I took a deep breath, trying to push the negative thoughts aside.   _I'm not scared...I'm not scared...I'm not-_

"Asami?" Korra's voice broke me from my trance as her arms found their way around my waist. "What are you doing out here?"

I quickly blinked away the tears that had begun to form at my eyes, turning around slowly. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" I asked with a small smile, bringing my hand up to gently push a strand of hair out of Korra's face.  I could still see some of the sleep in her eyes, but her focus was on me.

"I sleep better when you're next to me, you know that.  When I felt you weren't in bed anymore, I got worried, and you still haven't answered my question," she replied, the sleeping slowly fading from her eyes as she grew more awake with each passing minute.

I sighed, leaning into her hand as she reached up to stroke my cheek with her thumb. "Just...worried about college.  About Future Industries." I paused, gently biting my lip. "About us."

Korra looked at me confused. "What about us?"

I stayed quite for a moment as I stared into her eyes. "Do you think people are treating us different since we went public with our relationship?  It was one thing in high school, but with my father's actions with Amon and your status as the Avatar...it's expanding outside of Republic City.  It just worries me."

"Sami.  Look at me." I leaned into her palm before turning my attention fully to her.  Her smile seemed to push away each negative thought that resided in my mind, and she leaned forward to gently kissing my nose. "I don't care what others think about us, and neither should you.  This is our relationship." Her smile seemed to deepen, if it was even possible. "Besides, I have the most beautiful girl in the world in my arms.  I wish I could show her how much I love her with all of my heart."

My heart clenched at Korra's words.  I cupped her face in my hands, leaning forward to kiss her softly. "I love you too," I whispered against her lips, our foreheads touching gently.   _And I always_ _._

* * *

 

The ship pulled into the Southern Water Tribe's dock the next morning, and I was awake early enough to see the arrival prior to docking.  The beauty of the South Pole was breathtaking, and I was surprised to see how large of a crowd was gathered on the docks.   _Are they all here to welcome_ _Korra_ _back?_ I didn't have much time to ponder the thought when I heard my name called.  I caught one last look at the approaching dock before making my way to the hold.  Korra smiled as I came into sight as the children bounced around her, waiting for the ramp to the hold to lower.  All three watched with anticipation as the dock workers secured the ramp, sprinting out of the hold when given the ok to.  I took Korra's hand and exited the hold with her, and I was surprised to see that the crowd was larger than previously thought.

"Gran Gran!" The children shouted as they rushed towards a pair of women who wore matching smiles on their faces.  The elder of the two, Katara, pulled all three children into a large hug, the smile never leaving her face.  Being the children's only living grandparent left since Avatar Aang's passing, it was understandable to see how excited they were to see her.

The woman to Katara's right watched the interaction, waiting patiently for her welcome. "You've all gotten so big."

Jinora was the first to turn the woman and wrap her into a hug. "We missed you too, Aunt Kya."

Kya chuckled.  She was the only daughter and middle child of Avatar Aang and Katara.  She returned Jinora's hug before looking to the rest of us as we exited the ship.  She greeted her brothers before joining Bumi in teasing Tenzin about parts of their childhood.  Their interactions showed a side of Tenzin that I rarely saw, and it was nice to know that he wasn't always full of tension.

I looked back to Korra, watching as she quietly scanned the crowd on the dock.  She squeezed my hand, a wide smile growing on her face, as she saw them.  Her parents, Tonraq and Senna, were standing towards the back of the crowd, smiles matching the one on Korra's appearing when they saw their daughter.  Korra broke out into a sprint towards them, pulling them into a large hug as I chose to hang back and watch their reunion.  She hadn't seen them since my high school graduation as Korra's training had taken up majority of her summer life, but when I saw Senna motioning for me to join them, I was quick to walk over to them.

After including me in the family hug, I smiled as Bolin, Opal, and Mako walk over to greet Tonraq and Senna as well.  Tonraq shook each of the boys' hands, while Opal and Senna began to delve into a conversation about Opal's fashion.  As if sensing my thoughts, Korra squeezed my hand, bringing me back to reality.  I turned to her with a smile, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

I saw Bolin turn towards the crowd, hands on his hips and a bright smile on his face as he stared at them in amazement. "Wow!  Look at all these people who came to greet us!"

I could feel Korra's change in mood for a moment.  She cleared her throat as she turned towards Bolin. "Uh, Bolin.  They aren't here to greet us.  They're here to greet them," Korra said, gesturing to the ship that was currently docking.

Whereas we arrived on a large, elegant military ship, the ship that was docking next to ours featured a design of nobility.  The markings and paint scheme indicated Water Tribe origin, but none of the markings were similar to the Southern Water Tribe designs that Korra had shown me before.  I looked over towards Tonraq and Senna, noting Tonraq's hardened expression as he watched the docking ship.  There was a clear distaste for the new arrivals, and it didn't set well knowing that someone like Tonraq could actually dislike a person.

Tonraq crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes not leaving the docking ship. "The great Chief of the Northern Water Tribe comes to grace us with his presence.  Hooray," he said, sarcasm heavy on his voice.

Senna placed her hand on her husband's arm. "It's alright, Tonraq.  He'll be gone soon enough," she said softly.  Tonraq responded with a small grunt.

I looked to Korra, who answered with an apologetic smile and a small shrug.  Her hand found mine, gently squeezing it in hopes of easing my worry.  I nodded, understanding that she would explain later, before turning my attention to the ship.  An older gentleman, around Tonraq's age by my assumption, walked down the ramp with two followers cose behind him.  As he made his way closer to us, I could see why Korra chose to wait to explain Tonraq's attitude towards the new arrivals.

The similarities between the man and Tonraq were obvious, and by the tension that filled the atmosphere around us, there was bad history between the two men.  I looked towards the two that had followed the man; the only difference between the two was the one on the left wore a deep purple eye shadow.  The feeling that seemed to follow the three of them made me shiver.

Sensing my discomfort, Korra's hand squeezed mine gently.  I could see she had a smile on her face that wasn't one of her warmer ones.  It was one that she showed solely for appearances.  This only confirmed my suspicions that whoever these new arrivals were could only cause trouble if they stayed.  I squeezed Korra's hand back as I felt Opal move closer to me from behind.

"Who are the ladies following the older guy?" Opal whispered to Korra.

Korra turned slightly, a small smile of amusement on her face. "They're the Chief's children, Eska and Desna.  Desna's a guy."

Bolin's eyes widened in surprise, and I had to bite my lip to force my chuckle to stay quiet. "And uh...which one's Desna?" I heard him ask just as softly.

I watched as the Chief made his way over to Tonraq and Senna, the tension seeming to grow with each step.  Korra could feel my uneasiness, giving my hand a gentle squeeze as she watched her parents.  Tonraq and Senna had always kept a warm aura around them, and it was always present whenever they went out of their way to help someone.  With the Chief, it was almost the opposite.  A feeling of dread seemed to seep out of him, and it made me want to curl into Korra.

The Chief turned to Korra, bowing his head slightly with a smile on his face. "It's good to see you again, Avatar Korra."

Korra looked to me with a smile before releasing my hand.  She returned the bow to the Chief, the fake smile replacing the warm one she had just given me. "Good to see you too."

It was then that the Chief turned his attention back to Tonraq, their stares stone hard at each other.  It was here that the tension seemed to reach its climax, threatening to disturb the peace that was present before the Chief's arrival.

"Tonraq," the Chief said.

"Brother," Tonraq answered.

_So much for a semi-peaceful night._


	3. Dinner Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions are brewing, and they can make for awkward dinner conversations.

Korra sighed as she collapsed onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow.  I smiled at the sight, sitting beside her and gently rubbing her back.  We had helped see Chief Unalaq and his family to the quarters they would be staying in for the remainder of their trip to the Southern Water Tribe.  Even without Korra's explanation of Tonraq's history with his brother, I could tell that the tension between the two spanned several years.  Naga laid by the bedroom door, eyes closed as she took the opportunity to nap.

Leaning down, I pressed a gentle kiss to Korra's cheek. "It'll be alright, Korra," I said, leaning on my elbow beside her.

She sighed, turning to her left and pulling me into an embrace.  I snuggled into the warmth that seemed to radiate off of her body.  We laid in silence for a few moments, and I could feel Korra start to relax the longer we stayed there.  I could feel myself slowly start to drift to sleep when a knock at the bedroom door startled me awake.  Korra groaned softly as I stood up and moved to answer the door.  Opening the door, I found Jinora standing in the hallway with a smile on her face.

I returned the smile with one of my own. "Hi Jinora.  Do you need something?" I asked, leaning against the door frame so that Korra could see.

Jinora shook her head, waving to Korra. "Dad just wanted me to let you and Korra know that we'll be leaving after dinner to attend the festival in case you wanted to come with us."

"Of course we'll come.  We'll be out to join everyone for dinner in a few minutes, ok?"

Jinora nodded, giving Korra one last smile, before turning and walking down the hall towards where her family was staying for the trip.  I close the door and locked it, returning to the bed and choosing to lay on Korra.  She smiled as I placed a soft kiss on her lips, her arms wrapping around my waist.  I set my elbows on either side of her head, gently running my hands through her hair.  It was mesmerizing how she looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

"Have I ever told you how you take my breath away?" She asked, her trademark smirk on her lips.

I smiled, pretending to think for a moment before looking back down at her. "I don't believe so, but I'd love to hear you say it anyways," I answered, leaning down to kiss her.

She smiled against my lips, returning the kiss as she tightened her arms around my waist. "I'm too lucky to have you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We laid in each other's arms for a few moments later, dreading the fact that we would have to move soon.  I sat up first, a yawn escaping my lips.  Korra stretched out on the bed, slowly rubbing her eyes.  Sometimes it was hard to remember that Korra was just an eighteen year old girl and not the Avatar, that she shouldn't have to shoulder all of this stress like she was doing now.  Even still, she continued to trudge on, never wavering away from her responsibilities.

She must have caught me staring at her because she looked at me with concern. "Everything ok?"

I nodded, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Yeah, sorry.  I just got lost in my thoughts."

Korra smiled, wrapping her arm around my waist. "Thinking about what?"

"About how this night couldn't get any tenser than earlier today."

Oh how wrong was I.

* * *

 

I amount of tension and awkwardness was at new levels at dinner.  Even energetic little Meelo was quiet through the meal.  It wasn't like chances to ease the tension weren't done; Korra had tried several times with the help of Senna.  Unfortunately, Tonraq and Chief Unalaq answered each attempt with more tension.  It pained me to watch Korra and Senna try so hard only to come up short.  The meal itself was delicious, but the atmosphere was causing everyone to finish early.  In between my bites, I would do little things to help Korra keep her calm:  rub her leg, hold her hand for a moment, or join in the attempt at a conversation.  She would smile at each distraction, but I could see how it was slowly eating away at her.

After dinner, everyone jumped at the chance to attend the festival.  From the descriptions that the children and Korra had told me, it was going to be a large festival.  When we arrived, I was still taken aback by how large it truly was.  I watched as Tenzin's children ran from ride to ride, playing a few of the festival games in between the waits for the rides.  I walked with Bolin, Opal, and Mako as Korra walked with her uncle, her father, and Tenzin in front of us.  While the others were pointing to different parts of the festival, I kept my eyes on Korra.  It was warming to see her smile after how the evening had started off.  I could only catch part of Chief Unalaq's conversation within the group; there were a few mentions of the Southern Water Tribe's connection to the spirits, the reason behind the festival.

A slight squeal emanated from Bolin as he came across one of the food vendors.  I turned to see him quickly run over to the vendor, purchasing one of their artic hens and earning a sigh from Opal as she watched him try to eat it in one bite.  I noticed Korra's group stop in front of us to watch the sight, though by Chief Unalaq's disapproving expression I could tell he was unimpressed with our friend's antics.  The expression deepened into a scowl as he watch Bolin's continued attempt to eat the hen in one bit before Opal smacked him on the back of his head.  Korra and I chuckled at the exchange.

"Traditions change, Brother.  It's not the end of the world," I heard Tonraq say with a chuckle as he watched Bolin and Opal with a smile.

Anger flashed across Chief Unalaq's face as he turned towards his brother. "Tell that to the sailors that are being attacked by angry spirits in southern waters," he shouted, eyes narrowing. "Some traditions have purpose."

Chief Unalaq's outburst caught Korra's attention.  She looked between Chief Unalaq and her father in concern. "Wait what?  Spirits are attacking ships?"

Chief Unalaq turned his attention to Korra, showing her a calmer demeanor. "I'm surprised that, as the Avatar, you hadn't heard about that," he said before turning his gaze to Tenzin.  Tenzin crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at the chief. "It seems that you haven't been given all of the information you need, Korra." Chief Unalaq turned his attention back to Korra. "If you'd like, I can instruct you in the spiritual ways of the Water Tribe."

My stomach dropped at his words.   _Oh no._ I didn't need to see Korra's reaction.  Tenzin moved to comment, but Tonraq beat him to it. "Tenzin is Korra's instructor, Brother.  He can give her all the training she needs."

Chief Unalaq turned to his brother, lifting his chin slightly. "So you've said."

He turned towards the path they had been walking, continuing to move through the festival as if nothing had happened.  Tonraq and Tenzin shared a look before choosing to follow Chief Unalaq, but Korra stayed back.  her hands were clenching and unclenching in repeated succession.  I walked up to her, gently taking her hands in mine before kissing her cheek.

"Come on, enjoy right now.  We can talk about this later," I suggested, gently turning her towards me.

She looked at me before sighing into a smile. "Alright."

I smiled, pulling her towards our friends.  We spent the rest of the evening with our friends, enjoying the festival.  Korra had me try some of her favorite festival foods, and I made sure to take several mental notes of the noodle dishes she practically breathed down.   _Maybe Senna can help me in recreating a few of these dishes_.  After we moved to the games, we got into a small competition amongst each other.  At one of the games, Korra won me one of the stuffed animals, though I was sure she used her airbending to get the disks to land on the bottles.  At the end of the night, Korra insisted on pulling me towards the ferris wheel.  Humoring her with a smile, we made our way into one of the compartments and watched as it slowly began to make its way up to the top.

I stared down at the lights of the festival below us. "They're beautiful," I said softly, leaning over the railing slightly to get a better look.

Suddenly, the ferris wheel stopped.  Concern ran through me, though I couldn't help but be amazed at the view the stop provided Korra and I.  I looked around, trying to see what could have stopped us.  Guests were running around to various games and vendors.  I saw Opal and Bolin at one of the games, Opal laughing as Bolin struggled to play the game.  I saw Tenzin with his family, an actual look of enjoyment on his face.

"Like the view?" I heard Korra ask as her arm slipped around my waist.

I turned slightly in my seat. "Very much so, but I'm a bit concerned as to why the operator chose to stop us up here."

Korra smiled. "It's because I asked him to."

I blinked in surprise.  _When did she_ _do_ _that?_ "How'd I miss you doing that?"

"You were too distracted with getting ready to get into the compartment.

I rolled my eyes.   _My_ _ever charming_ _girlfriend working her magic._ I leaned over, kissing her softly.  My heart fluttered when she smiled against my lips before returning the kiss, her arms tightening around my waist.  I turned in her arms, leaning against her as I looked up at the sky above us.  Moments like these were few and far.  I sighed in content, not wanting to rush out the happiness I had found tonight.

* * *

 

It was late when Korra and I finally made our way back into her bedroom.  Korra collapsed on her bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow, while I chose to stay up and look over notes that I had brought with me.  Her light snoring was the only noise in the room; when I heard her shift, I turned to see that she had unconsciously left a spot for me on the bed.  Naga laid at the foot of the bed, her head resting on her paws.  She was a light sleeper, often choosing to stay slightly awake whenever I was studying.

Sighing softly, I stacked my notes and set them on the desk.  I had a meeting in the morning with the CEO of an up-and-coming company to discuss a partnership with Future Industries.  They had only been in business for a couple months, but they were the only company to show some interest in actually working with Future Industries.  It was through this partnership that my hopes for Future Industries rested on, giving us the push to get back into the competitive market.  If I could get this deal set, then I'd have more time to focus on school work and spending more time with Korra.  At the thought of Korra, I turned towards her, smiling at her sleeping form.

The smile quickly turned into a frown at the thought of the meeting.  There wasn't any background information on who this CEO was, and that troubled me to no end.  Opal volunteered to come with me to the meeting, which I was grateful for, but even with her accompanying me, I couldn't help but feel extremely worried.  I shook my head, focusing on the sleeping form of my girlfriend.  I hadn't told her about the company's troubles, majority of them were already public knowledge thanks to the media, but I knew she'd be the first one I'd tell if this partnership actually went through.

Standing up slowly, I made my way over to the bed quietly and slid under the covers next to Korra.  She always made the bed much warmer than the warmth the covers provided, and I smiled when her arms found their way around my waist instinctively. "Finally...now I can sleep..." She breathed softly before going right back to her soft snoring.

She had complained before that she could never sleep well whenever I wasn't next to her, but I knew that it was a lie.  With moments such as tonight, nights that found her exhausted beyond normal, she would be asleep before her head was anywhere near her pillow.  There was nothing that could wake her unless it was me slipping into bed hours after she had fallen asleep.  Then,  _magically_ , she would be awake long enough to say she was able to finally sleep before falling back into her deep slumber.  It happened every time, though I'm not complaining.

A shift at the end of the bed caught my attention, but I knew it was only Naga making her way up onto the bed.  I felt her head lay next to our feet, and I chuckled softly.   _I swear, if_ _Korra_ _was an animal, she'd be Naga._ I sighed in content, snuggling closer to Korra.   _Yet, I'd rather be here than anywhere else._ Laying my head next to Korra's, I slowly closed my eyes, and all of my thoughts began drifting from my mind.  Tomorrow and all its troubles could wait until then.  Right now all I wanted to do was to sleep beside the love of my life.   _Anything that would come my way, I know I can face it.  I have friends to come home to.  I have_ _Korra_ _to come home to.  They're all I need in my life, even if this deal doesn't go through._ Smiling at the thought, I drifted off into sleep, the world's worries disappearing with the darkness that enveloped my mind.

* * *

 

 _Folders, check.  Notepads, check.  Extra pens and pencils, check._ I took a deep breath and released it before putting all of the supplies into my padfolio.  The Future Industries logo stared back me as I zipped the padfolio close, another reminder of what I had to lose I couldn't make this deal.  I heard a knock at my door, and I turned to see Opal standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face.  I smiled back and walked over to her.

The walk to the docks wasn't terribly long, but it did allow us to see how the Southern Water Tribe was during the day.  We watched as the children ran after each other as the adults watched with amusement and tended to their shops.  A few waved to us or bid us good morning, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging with them.  Unfortunately, it wasn't always a warm welcome.  Water tribe members that I assumed were from the North weren't as friendly to us or their Southern counterparts.  The tension that was thick between Tonraq and Chief Unalaq seemed to resonate between the tribe members.  I sighed softly at the sight, turning towards the dock that was holding the ship for my meeting.

The ship itself was of Water Tribe build, that much was certain by the paint scheme and the design of the logo on the side of the ship.  I bit my lip slightly as Opal and I made our way up the ramp, several guards checking our IDs before allowing us inside.  The only contact that I had made with this CEO was through email, and the signature ran an ambiguous VC at the end of each email.  No first name, no last name.  The emails themselves were polite and well-written, but it only added to my wonder as to the type of person running the company.  There was no mention of the company in any of my father's circles, and the contacts that were still willing to speak to me hadn't heard of any owner with the initials of VC.

Once inside, Opal and I were led down a hallway, noting that the interior was as elegant as the outer portions of the ship.  Opal's eyes followed the designs, her elbow nudging me gently as we continued towards a door at the end of the hall. "Some ship huh?" She asked.

I looked at her and rolled my eyes with a small smile.  I turned my attention back to the door and the guard who had moved to it.  He opened it, not saying a word but waiting for us to move inside.  I gave Opal a glance before leading the way into the room.  The room was rather large, possibly as wide as the ship itself, and featured a large window that overlooked the bay.  I could hear Opal follow me inside the room before the door closed, her soft mumbling of amazement reaching my ears as she looked around the room as well.  I felt slightly guilty for the little twist of excitement that rose through my chest.   _Maybe, just maybe, Future Industries will have a chance._

It was then that I turned my attention to the rather large desk in the middle of the room.  It was a large oak desk that had papers scattered across the top of it.  Several pencils and post-it notes were among the papers, and I was in the midst of trying to determine what was on the papers when the chair behind the desk turned.  I could hear Opal's gasp from behind me, though her surprise was not nearly as large as I'm sure mine was.  Sitting behind the desk was a man I never thought I would see running a company, much less a successful one, four months after graduating high school with me.

"Asami!  Welcome to my ship!" Iknik Blackstone Varrick proclaimed, a giant smile on his face.

_Wait...WHAT?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to leave comments and let me know what you think! Follow me on tumblr for all updates to First Love.  
> Tumblr: libs1317


	4. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Asami ready for the surprises life loves to throw at her?

_Wait...What?!_

I couldn't stop staring at Iknik Varrick, the clumsy guy that I had graduated with only four months ago.  Here he was, running one of the most successful up-and-coming shipping companies, and I was supposed to meet with him to create a partnership so that Future Industries wouldn't go bankrupt.  I swallowed hard at the thought of working with Varrick, and it didn't set well at all.

"Varrick?  You're the one who's been emailing me about a partnership?" I asked.

He laughed, his grin still on his face as he slapped his knees. "Of course not!  Zhu Li's the one who writes the emails.  I just have her sign with Varrick Company's initials!"

"Varrick Company?  Since when do you have your own company?" Opal asked, her hands resting on her hips as she looked disapprovingly at Varrick.

"Since we graduated high school!"

"He means since I graduated early and he dropped out," Zhu Li clarified as she came over with a tray of tea.  She smiled at both of us. "It's good to see you two again."

I returned the smile. "It's good to see you too, Zhu Li." I turned my attention back to Varrick. "Do I even want to know what kind of terms you're expecting to put out for this proposed partnership, Varrick?"

Varrick jumped to his feet and waved his hands in front of us. "Wait, wait, wait!  Before we go into boring business talk, you need to look at Varrick Company's new venture:  moving pictures!"

Opal and I looked at each other.  I turned my attention back to Varrick, my eyes narrowing. "You can't be serious," Opal said, her arms crossing over her chest.

Zhu Li sighed, setting the tray down on the table to our left.  She walked over to a different table, pulling off a cover to reveal a strange looking machine.  It reminded me of one of the older versions of a Satocamera.  Opal and I watched as she turned it on, a light emanating from the lens and onto a screen to our right.  We watched as a horse galloped across a field in an endless loop.

My eyes widened at the sight of the horse, and it wasn't until Varrick's arm wrapped around my shoulders that I realized he had moved behind us. "Mind blowing, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes, pushing his hand off of my shoulder. "Varrick, the deal.  You know, the real reason why I'm here."

Varrick clapped his hands together. "Sure, Asami, but let's talk about all the finalizing things at the royal feast tonight!  I'm sure the Chief would love to ehar of our new partnership."

I looked at him in confusion. "Royal feast?"

Zhu Li had just shut down the large camera-looking machine when she heard my question. "It's for the Chief's arrival."

I was mentally kicking myself for forgetting.  It was one of the big events Korra had explained on the trip down here.  Thinking about the dinner, I pictured the dress Korra had picked out for the occasion, and I couldn't help the smile that appeared.  When I caught Zhu Li's knowing smirk, I had to snap out of my thoughts. "Varrick, why don't we just finish the details-"

"Nonsense!" He shouted before grabbing Zhu Li's hand. "We'll see you at the feast!" He began pulling Zhu Li towards the door we had arrived through and was halfway down the hallway when something about a rocket boat echoed off of the walls.

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose.  Graduation was supposed to distance me from those that I didn't want to see again.  People like Varrick.  Yet here I was, on the verge of getting into a business arrangement with the fool.   _It's for Future Industries.  Zhu Li will help to keep him in line.  It's for Future Industries._ A hand on my shoulder drew me from my mantra.  I looked to see Opal smiling sadly at me, understanding where my mind had just gone to.

"It'll be alright, Asami," she said before looking at her watch. "We better get going if we want to have enough time to change."

I nodded before pulling her into a hug. "Thanks for coming with me.  It means a lot."

Opal returned the hug, pulling back with a smile. "Anytime."

We walked back to Korra's parents' house, discussing the dresses we were planning on wearing for the feast, but my mind remained on the business arrangement.  The outcome of this arrangement could be one of the best things to happen since I took over as CEO, or I was going to see the end of my family's company.  I tried to keep the smile on my face for Opal, but the feeling in my stomach was a pit of annoyance at the prospect of having to deal with Varrick for long time period.

Korra was waiting for us when we returned, and the sight of her quickly brought a smile to my face.  I quickly made my way into her awaiting arms, sighing into the hug.  Her eyes were filled with a questioning look, but she didn't push for an answer when I remained silent.  Waving goodbye to Opal, we made our way to Korra's room.  Wanting to take my mind off of the past few hours, I went straight over to the closet and pulled out the two dresses I had brought with me.

"Which dress do you think I should wear, Korra?" I asked, holding them up in front of me as I stood in front of the full-length mirror next to the closet.

Korra had taken a spot on the bed and watched me with a smile. "The one that's less formal.  It's more of a causal dinner than anything, 'Sami."

Putting the dress in my right hand back inside the closet, I laid the dress in my left over the back of the chair at Korra's computer desk.  Walking over to the bed, I laid beside Korra, smiling as her arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me close.  There were still a couple hours before the feast, and frankly, I wanted to stay away from wherever Varrick was going to be for as long as I could.  I snuggled against Korra's warmth.

"So you going to tell me how your meeting went?" She asked, slowly stroking my hair.

I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking of how not to sound bitter with my explanation. "So apparently the CEO of this new company is Varrick."

Korra lifted her head to look at me. "From high school? But he's still in school?"

I shook my head. "He dropped out, and Zhu Li graduated early.  The company is called Varrick Company, of all names."

"And he's really going to help you put Future Industries back on top?"

I sighed. "That's the hope."

"At least you have Zhu Li?  She's always been able to curve the annoyance, somewhat."

We both laughed at this, remembering how much Zhu Li had to put up with while also knowing how to shut Varrick up the fastest, whether it be a snarky remark or a good old smack to the head.  It felt so long ago that we weren't caught up in our fast-moving lives, where we could just relax and be ourselves without the weight of responsibilities on our shoulders.  It was one of the things that I missed the most about being in high school.  We didn't have to make decisions that could affect thousands of lives almost every single day.

Sensing my mood change, Korra's hands rose up my back as she began to massage my shoulders. "Everything's going to be ok," she whispered, a gentle smile on her lips as she pressed them against my forehead.

I could feel myself relaxing more into her touch. "I wish we could stay here for the rest of our lives.  Not moving, not having to deal with anyone unless we wanted to."

Korra gently squeezed my shoulders. "Me too, but we both know that we've got responsibilities.  You've got college and Future Industries, while I've got high school and my Avatar duties."

"It's not fair sometimes."

"I know, but we've always been able to battle through it."

I leaned up onto my elbows, looking down at her.  I moved my hand to her cheek, gently stroking it with my thumb, as I looked into her blue eyes.  I always felt like I was getting lost in them. "You're too good for me, you know that?"

Korra laughed, leaning up to kiss me. "Nah.  You're the one who's way too good for me.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind me that I'm yours and you're mine." I rolled my eyes before leaning down to kiss her back.  A groan escaped her lips as she rested her forehead against mine. "I wish you didn't have to start class next week."

I smiled. "Where'd that 'We have responsibilities' attitude go to?" I teased.

She chuckled, kissing my neck before pulling me down to bury her face into my shoulder. "Hey, I can dream, can't I?"

_This is the dork that I love so much._

* * *

 

One awkward dinner down, many more to go.  Because of the size of the feast, Korra sat with her family towards the front of the hall, while I joined Mako, Bolin, and Opal at a table with Varrick and Zhu Li.   _So_ _much for avoiding him tonight._ The boys and Opal did their best to help distract Varrick from talking to me, while my attention was on Korra.  By the way her expressions and Tonraq's were, they were back to discussing her Avatar training with Chief Unalaq.  The conversation was an intense one by the looks of it.  Soon after, the chief made a speech about the state of the Southern Water Tribe in his view, making sure as to mention the attacks made by the angry spirits.

I could see Korra's conflicted emotions running across her face as she looked back and forth between her father and her uncle.  It wasn't hard to see the tension between the two, and the longer the feast went on, the worse it got.  When she finally looked for me, eyes lost and worried, I tried my best comforting smile, hoping that it would help to relax her.  I could see her shoulders relax when she saw my smile, a comforting smile of her own resting on her lips.

With the announcement of the end of the feast, Korra couldn't move fast enough to meet me back at her room.  Nearly knocking me over when she saw me, I was glad that the bed was right behind us.  I laughed as she picked me up and spun me around, her smile lighting up on her face.  She set me back down on my feet, covering my cheek over and over again with kisses.

"Korra stop!  We're going to be late!" I laughed, even though I didn't want it to end.  My time in the South pole was coming to an end, and soon our time together was going to be cut short.

"I don't care," Korra said as she kissed me.

I kissed her back, gently cupping her face in my hands. "Well I do.  We promised Opal and Bolin we'd actually hang out with them tonight at the festival.  No family business, no Avatar business.  Just the five of us."

Korra groaned, burying her face into the side of my neck. "But-"

I gently slapped her arm, moving out of her embrace and over to the closet. "No buts.  We promised, and you know I don't go back on my promises."

I could see her roll her eyes in the mirror, and I stuck my tongue out at her as I changed into a comfortable shirt and pair of jeans.  Once I finished, I smiled as Korra did the same, grabbing my jacket as she slid her jacket on.  Taking her hand, we left the house with a wave goodbye to Senna and Tonraq, Naga close on our heels.  She ran around us as we made our way to the festival, her doggy grin wide on her face.  I chuckled as Korra let go of my hand and chased after Naga while I continued to walk towards the festival.  They'd run back towards me only to divert into another direction.

I smiled, noting the festival lights as we got closer.  They were stunning and stretched far into the distance, reiterating how large of a festival it was.  As I got closer to the entrance, Korra ran up and took my hand back in hers.  She wasn't even out of breath after all the chasing she did.  I smiled at her as we walked past the tents, and soon we spotted Bolin and Opal patiently waiting for us at one of the nearby benches.  Waving, we quickly made our way over to them.

"'Bout time," Opal said with a chuckle as she stood and gave me a hug.

I squeezed her tight. "Oh shut it.  We're here, aren't we?"

We both laughed as we began to walk down one of the pathways of the festival, Korra and Bolin on our tails.  The first time I walked through the festival, I hadn't really paid attention to everything it was offering those who attended.  I had been too worried about Korra to really enjoy the festival, and even the short time I had spent with her the last trip was still focused on her and that smile of hers.  Now I was able to see the many vendors and their different wares for sale around us.  We watched as the young children of the tribes ran past us, smiles on their faces as they raced each other to the different carnival games or rides.  A laughed escaped me as I watched Korra rush over to buy us one of the cotton candy cones.  I rolled my eyes when she held up a piece to feed me, smiling as I let her.  Reaching up, I pulled off a piece for her, giggling like a school girl when she ate it.  Bolin and Opal rolled their eyes as their smiles laminated their faces.

Turning her attention back towards the pathway, Korra's mood changed slightly.  Turning towards the direction she was looking at, I was surprised to find Eska and Desna in the crowd, their attention focused on surveying the crowds around them. "Never really liked them.  Always had this...old grandma smell to them," Korra interjected.

I turned my head to her, raising an eyebrow. "Really, Korra?  Old grandma smell?  That's how you best remember your cousins?"

She laughed, taking my hand as we began to follow Bolin and Opal towards one of the carnival games, the one where you shot a water gun.  We watched them play, Opal trying her hardest to knock Bolin's aim off of the target.  Korra's voice was soft when she spoke up. "Unalaq offered to train me to help with my connection to the spirits." Her voice was soft, and her fingers interlocking with mine.

"Korra, that's awesome," I said with a smile, though I wasn't as convincing. "What does Tenzin think about that?"

Korra frowned at the mention of her airbending teacher. "Tenzin thinks I'm his prisoner or, at most, one of his kids.  I don't think I'll even be able to finish my training if he continues to teach me." A ding came from the game Opal and Bolin were at, the gamemaster handing Opal a rather large sky bison stuffed animal. "This thing with the spiritual unrest here in the South worries me, but, at the same time, I'm having to contend with Tenzin and my dad about who my teacher should be.  I'm the Avatar; shouldn't I get a say in who teaches me?"

I pulled her hand up to my lips, gently kissing her knuckles, as Opal and Bolin made their way back towards us. "You'll figure it out, Korra.  You always do."

Korra smiled before the four of us continued our walk through the festival.  We were coming up to more of the rides when I saw a familiar tall figure off in the distance.  Mako was standing over by one of the food vendors, a smile on his face as he spoke to a person to his left.  I couldn't see who it was, but I could tell it was a woman.  A smile crossed over my lips, and I gently nudged Opal with my elbow, pointing at Mako.  She, Korra, and Bolin all looked towards him, smiles appearing on their faces as well.

"That a boy, Mako!" Bolin shouted, causing his brother and his companion to jump at the sudden call.

Mako's expression turned from surprised to a hard glare when he realized who had shouted at him.  He waved off the call before turning his attention back to his companion.  It took a moment, but he saw that she was too focused on our group.  Specifically, she was focused on me, just as I had become focused on her.  My mind was having trouble processing who was standing in front of me that it felt like my heart had stopped for a moment.  Her hand covered her mouth, trying to stop the gasp that I'm sure was escaping her mouth at this moment.

My body felt numb; my mind had gone blank.   _It...it can't be..._ Too many thoughts were running through my mind as I stared at Mako's companion.  I could vaguely recall Opal's voice trying to get my attention or Korra's gentle shakes to break me from my trance.  None of it worked, and I stood there frozen until her words worked their way to my brain.  Until I heard her voice for the first time in almost five years.

"Asami?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to follow me on Tumblr for any updates, and let me know what you think of the work so far!


	5. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami thought she had all the surprises she could handle for one day. Life had other plans.

"Asami?"

Brown eyes stared back at my green, and they were just as surprised as I was.  The brown-haired woman they belonged to turned from her spot next to Mako, attention fully transfixed on me, and I could feel my heart beating faster.  It was surreal to see how little she had changed in just five years.

"Rin?"

"Asami!"

"Rin!"

We started to run towards each other, meeting in the middle with a collision.  I laughed as I wrapped her into a hug.  We stayed there for a moment, only parting when we could hear the others start to move towards us.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my hands taking hers.

She laughed. "Believe it or not, I'm actually here because of business.  We were given the night off, so I figured I could see what this big festival was all about.  What about you?"

I smiled. "I'm here with my friends," I answered, looking towards Mako. "It seems you've already met one of them."

Mako rubbed the back of his head when Rin turned to face him, her eyes widening a bit.  She quickly turned back to face me. "Oh wow!  What are the odds?"

I laughed as Korra, Bolin, and Opal joined us. "This is Bolin, Mako's brother, and his girlfriend, Opal," I said, motioning to them.  They both waved and offered a smile to Rin.  Letting go of Rin's hands, I walked over to Korra, taking her hand in mine and kissing her cheek. "And this is Korra, my girlfriend."

At the mention of Korra's name, Rin looked from her back to me. "Korra?  As in Avatar Korra?"

Korra smiled that cocky grin of hers. "The one and the same," she answered, her hand squeezing mine.

Rin quickly moved towards us, taking Korra's free hand to shake it. "It's such a pleasure to meet you!"

Korra's chuckled uncomfortably, no doubt trying to hide how awkward she felt at Rin's sudden forwardness. "Um, nice to meet you too.  I'm sorry, but you've caught me at a disadvantage I'm afraid."

Rin slapped her forehead, and I didn't miss Korra's slight eyebrow rise at the motion.  I could already see the gears turning in her head; I had a habit of doing a similar motion, and Rin was the cause of it. "Duh!  Sorry.  My name's Rin Akimoto," she said, a smile at me. "I used to go to grade school with Asami."

I gently punched Rin in her arm. "Then you left me alone right before high school."

Rin rolled her eyes, returning the punch. "I couldn't help that my parents moved me to the Fire Nation."

I pouted, giving Rin the best puppy dog eyes I could make.  She rolled her eyes at my attempt. "But you left me all alone, Rin," I whined slightly.

She gave me a slight shove, a smile on her face. "Uh huh.  It looks to me that you're doing fine," she replied, looking down at her watch. "Crap!  I'm sorry, but I really have to go." She leaned up to kiss Mako on the cheek before running off towards the opposite end of the festival. "We'll have to catch up later!  Meet me back here tomorrow afternoon!"

We were all left stunned by her sudden departure, especially Mako.  It was Bolin who broke the silence, elbowing his brother in the ribs. "Did you at least get her number, Bro?"

Mako nodded once, still staring off into the direction that Rin had left in.  The rest of us laughed at him, the first time in a long time we had seen him this speechless.  I smiled as I looked towards the same direction, yet I couldn't ignore the weird pit in my stomach.  Seeing one of my closest friends after all these years should have left me on cloud nine, and it sounded like I was going to see her again.  The problem was that this feeling kept telling me that it wasn't a good thing.  I couldn't tell what was making me feel this way, and only time would tell why I was feeling like this.

We left the festival very late that night, and Korra was out cold again on the bed with Naga beside her as soon as we got to her room.  I chose to stay up a little longer, looking over documents Zhu Li had given me after the feast in regards to the business arrangement.  My mind was mostly focused on the details of the documents, but in the back of my mind I couldn't help but think about my reunion with Rin.  It was still strange that I would see here down in the South Pole of all places.

I had just finished up my notes on the details when I heard Naga's soft, angry growl.  I turned to her, surprised at the sudden growl, and caught her moving towards the bedroom door.  Korra, awakened by Naga's movement, sat up and rubbed her eyes.  I stood up and walked over to the door, grabbing my coat on the way.  As I opened the door, Naga began to howl before she rushed out the door.

"Naga!" I shouted.  Korra and I ran after her, following her howls all the way out to the ledge thirty yards in front of Korra's house.

"Shh, Naga.  You'll wake everyone up," Korra whispered to Naga as she reached her first, trying her best to sooth the howling dog.  Naga looked to her master, licked her cheek, and continued to howl.  It wasn't long before everyone else was exiting the house to see what the commotion was about.

Just as I was about to explain Naga's strange behavior, a large entity appeared.  A vacuum of snow blew around it as it rose out of the ground, the darkness of its form sending a chill down my back as I stared at it.  My hand reached out to Korra as she stood up and wrapped around her bicep, my fear growing the closer the entity moved towards us.  I heard Korra speaking to me, but my brain wasn't registering her words.   _What...what is that thing?_ My body froze in place as the snow started to settle around the form, its yellow haze where its eyes should be staring back at us.

It launched itself towards us at a speed that my eyes had trouble following.  Before I knew it, the creature was in front of us. "Asami!" Korra shouted, pushing me to the side just as the creature swung its arm at her.  It hit her square in the chest, launching her back into the wall of ice and snow several yards behind the house.

"Korra!" I shouted, but the creature was too fast.  Its arms, now tentacles, wrapped around Korra's wrists as it moved on her, the eyes right up in Korra's face.  My built-up fear was quickly turning into anger, fueling my brain to regain control over my body.  I found myself rushing towards the creature, bent on stopping the creature from hurting Korra any further.

As if sensing my approach, another limb appeared from the back of the creature and shot towards me.  It slammed me against the wall to my right before I had a chance to try and dodge its attack.  My vision swirled around me, and I swear I could hear bells ringing as my body fell to the ground.  I vaguely registered Korra shouting when a bright light erupted above me; the earth right in front of me began to rumble.  I remember arms wrapping around my chest, dragging me away from where the earth had just been rumbling.   _Mako...Bolin..._ If I could move any part of my body, a smile would have appeared on my face, but the pain was too much for any movement.

I remember hearing Opal's voice, but I couldn't understand what she was saying.  Soon another pair of arms wrapped around me and continued dragging me further away.  My eyes opened slightly, and I could see forms in front of my face but could not register who they belonged to.  Just as I went to ask for Korra, the world around me fell into darkness, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

-

I woke up slowly, a semi-bright light shining above me as my eyes started to adjust.  My head rolled to the right, sleeping threatening to take over once again, when a thought shot through my mind.   _Korra_ _!_ I sat up quickly, the pain in my side zipping from zero to a hundred in an instant.  I groaned, wrapping my arm around my ribs as I doubled over.  A hand rested on my back and another rested on my shoulder, both guiding me back to a laying position on the bed.  I looked up to see Korra smiling softly at me.

"Hey, take it easy there," she said, gently stroking my cheek.

I looked around, seeing that we were back in her room and I was on her bed. "What...what happened?"

Korra took my hand, gently rubbing her thumb over my knuckles. "What we saw was an angry spirit.  Unalaq was the only one who could stop its attack, the only one who could control it.  Not Tenzin; not my dad.  Not even I could stop it," she said, her face contorting in slight anger.  She stared down at her hands, not looking at me. "I've decided to train with Unalaq."

Sitting up slowly, I leaned back against the pillows. "Are you sure about this?" Korra nodded once. "Ok, then I'll support your decision.  Is Tenzin still here?"

Korra shook her head. "No.  They left with Kya and Bumi to head out to the Southern Air Temple after we were able to calm the spirit," she said, moving so that she was sitting beside me.  She sighed and leaned into my side. "I'm sorry I made this all about me.  How are you feeling?"

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kiss the side of her head. "Sore, but I'll be ok.  I was more worried about you.  When I saw that spirit going after you, I was so scared."

I felt Korra shift beside me, her arms wrapping around my waist to pull me closer. "You scared for me?  Not with that face you had on.  That look of determination said otherwise.  You're the one who scared me after you were thrown into the wall," she said before burying her face into my shoulder.

I chuckled, wincing a little at the movement. "Well I know I'm going to be feeling it for the next couple days for sure," I said as I adjust my position to snuggle against Korra. "I do remember someone pulling me away after I hit the wall.  Who was it?"

"Opal, if you can believe it." Korra laughed.

I looked up at Korra. "Really?"

Korra smiled. "Mako and Bolin came running after you were thrown, attacking the spirit to try and keep it away from you and I.  Opal ran over and managed to drag you back far enough for Bumi to come over and bring to the house.  Kya was healing you by the time Dad, Tenzin, Unalaq, and I arrived.  When I saw you...I..." Her face darkened at the thought.

I put my hand on Korra's jaw, directing it towards me, and leaned up to kiss her softly. "Shh.  I'm ok, and you're ok.  That's all that matters."

She nodded, returning the kiss while her arms tightened around me. "After we got back, I helped Kya move you in here.  You've been out since."

I laid my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes as silence filled the room.  I could feel our bodies start to relax, but my mind started to think towards tomorrow.  I frowned, and I knew Korra could sense the change in my mood.

"What is it?" She asked, adjust so that she was laying with me but could look at my face as well.

I looked in her eyes, knowing she could see the sadness that dwelled there. "I have to return to Republic City for school soon."

To say Korra was upset was an understatement. "Nooo!  You can't leave yet!" She whined, pulling me closer to her.

I smiled sadly, snuggling into her side. "I don't want to leave either, Korra, but I have to.  It's my first semester of college, and I'm already going to be busy with Future Industries stuff as well."

She pulled me closer, burying her face into my hair as she continued her soft whining.  She would spend the rest of the night complaining about the incoming loneliness, but I knew that she understood I had to leave.  College and Future Industries were parts of my life now, even if how they entered my life wasn't in the original plan.  I listened to Korra complain, but soon enough sleep would overcome her, just as it would me.  We fell asleep in each other's arms, holding onto the little time we had left together.

The next morning, Korra was to leave with Unalaq to begin her training.  While they were gathering supplies for the trip to the South Pole, Bolin and Opal kept me company.  Naga wouldn't leave my side, as if sensing how conflicted I was about Korra leaving.  I assumed that Mako had told Rin what had happened because she came by the house, a comforting smile on her face.  She was leaving today to go back to Republic City, and we made a promise to keep in touch more often.  After she had left, Opal, Bolin, and I spent the rest of our morning discussing our plans when we got back to Republic City.  My classes were starting earlier than RCHS's, and the thought of RCHS made me worry about Korra even more.  It was her senior year of high school, and it was already looking like she was going to miss some of her classes because of her training.

"What are you thinking about, Asami?" Opal asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at her. "Sorry.  I was just thinking about school."

Bolin looked up from his spot on the floor; he had been playing with Naga to occupy the time. "What about it?"

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm just worried about Korra and her schooling.  I think it's great that her uncle wants to help her become a better Avatar, but she's also a teenager that's still in school.  Education is just as important."

Opal smiled at my concern, giving me a gentle shove. "Come on, Asami, give Korra a little more credit.  She knows how important it is, especially to you."

I nodded. "My worry is that Chief Unalaq doesn't."

It was then that Korra entered the room, already looking tired.  She started going through her drawers and her bags next to them, double-checking to make sure she had everything she needed for the trip.  The three of us watched her in silence, and it was then that she realized that there was company in the room.

"Oh, hey guys," she said with a smile. "Sorry.  I've just got a lot of things on my mind."

"We can see that," I said, standing and walking over to her. "Are you guys getting ready to leave?"

Korra nodded.  The trip to the South Pole would keep her from seeing me off for Republic City, and a pit was already starting to form in my stomach at the thought.  I pulled her into a tight hug, her arms finding their way around my waist.  I was already missing her, and I hadn't left yet.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her arms tightening around my waist.

I shook my head. "Don't be.  Your Avatar duties come before everything else.  Even I know that," I said, my hands cupping her face.

She frowned. "Sometimes they get in the way too often."

I smiled softly, kissing her. "I know, but you'll be back in Republic City before you know it.  You are still going to go back for your senior year, right?"

She chuckled, nodding once. "Yeah, I'll be back for school.  I already told Unalaq that I needed to." She kissed me softly. "Plus, I think I'd go crazy if I couldn't see you at all."

I rested my forehead against hers. "Same here."

I watched as she finished her packing, and the four of us made our way outside the house.  There were snowmobiles waiting outside with a rather small group of people waiting beside them.  I could see her uncle, her father, and a few other Northern and Southern Water Tribe members.  I was surprised to see Mako in attendance as well, his few belongings already piled up onto one of the snowmobiles.  As Korra left to put her things with one of the snowmobiles, I made my way over to Mako.

"You're going to?" I asked, knowing there was a hint of jealousy in my voice.

He nodded. "I knew you wouldn't be able to, so I thought I'd go and watch her back for you."

I instantly regretted the jealousy in my voice. "Thanks," I said softly, looking over my shoulder at Korra. "This just...something feels wrong, Mako, and I'm worried."

Mako put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry.  Tonraq and I will be with her at all times.  Everything's going to be ok.  You just get back to Republic City and do what you do best, ok?"

I nodded, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you." I whispered before making my way over to Korra.

The look of sadness on her face as she watched me walk over was almost heartbreaking.  My pace quickened, and I was almost running into her arms.  The embrace was tight, and I didn't want to let her go.  The feeling in my stomach wasn't leaving, and it was only making me feel worse about this training.  Even knowing Mako was going to have her back didn't settle my churning stomach.  It was when we heard Chief Unalaq clear his throat that we knew our time together was coming to an end.

I pulled back slowly, kissing her softly. "Stay safe, ok?  Don't do anything too stupid."

Korra chuckled, her eyes twinkling. "I don't do anything that stupid, 'Sami."

I rolled my eyes before pulling her into another hug. "I love you."

"I love you too."

I watched Korra leave with the group, the sounds of the snowmobiles fading the farther they moved away from us.  I continued to stare off in the direction they left, even when I couldn't see them anymore.  I could hear Opal and Bolin trying their best to calm my nerves, that Korra would come back safe.  I remained standing where I was, knowing that something was terribly wrong and Korra was about to find herself in the middle of it.  It killed me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much keeping with this story, and I hope everyone is enjoying it. Please let me know what you think, and make sure to follow my Tumblr for any updates!


	6. Return to Republic City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra returns to Republic City. What surprises does Asami have waiting for her?

**_2 weeks later_ **

I leaned back in my seat, rubbing my temples as my frustration was reaching new levels today.  The project situated in front of me on my desk was due tomorrow, and I was still having trouble working out some of the kinks.  The overall goal was it to eventually be used in the engines of future Satomobiles, but for now it was one of my main projects for my engineering class.  Since my return to Republic City and the start of class, it had been one of the major focal points of my work.  Pushing the designs on the desk to the side, I laid my forehead down on my desk.  I was starting to get a large migraine from the past two hours of work on the model.

"Still haven't figured it out yet, huh?" I heard her ask as she walked over to my desk.  I groaned in response, earning myself a chuckle from her. "You'll get it, Asami.  Just take a break, maybe that'll help."

A glass was set beside my head, green tea with a hint of cinnamon from the smell.  I sighed, sitting up and taking the glass.  I gave her a small smile before taking a sip of the tea. "Thanks.  Don't know how'd I get through this class without your constant need to check in on me, Rin."

Rin smiled, sitting down on the bench beside my desk. "Oh stop it.  You did fine for yourself when we were apart, so I'm sure you'd figure something out." She points to the model on the desk. "Just like I'm sure you'll figure out what's wrong with the model."

I smiled at her encouragement.  The trip home from the Southern Water Tribe was full of surprises.  When I had reached the docks, I was confused by the appearance of Zhu Li and Rin, both of whom were waiting on the same ship that was to take me back to Republic City.  I wasn't expecting to find out that Rin was not only going to be attending Republic City University with me, but Varrick had hired her on to Varrick Company to run his design department.  It shocked Zhu Li just as it had shocked me at the turn of events.

_"I swear, I didn't know you two were friends.  A lot of her work ethic did remind me of yours,_ _Asami, which is part of the reason why I told_ _Varrick_ _to hire her," Zhu Li explained before smiling at the two of us. "At least you guys are getting your chance to catch up now."_

"So, what's the problem now?" Rin asked, tucking a piece of her long, straight brown hair behind her ear as she leaned over to look at my model.

Holding it up to her, I watched Rin take it out of my hand. "There's still air coming out of a spot, and I can't quite figure out where.  It may be a very small model, but if it's leaking somewhere, then the final design could do that as well.  If it's losing fluid, then its defeating the purpose of being a reusable fuel system."

Rin rolled her eyes, looking over the model. "You're just giving yourself a hard time, and you've been staring at it too much." Continuing to look over the prototype and pointed to one of the pipes. "Here's your problem.  There's a puncture here, probably from when you were cutting something.  Now I'm pretty sure metal won't cut as easily as straws do, so it shouldn't happen in a live prototype.  You just need to relax a bit."

"Hardy har har, Rin.  So damn funny," I said, taking the model out of her hands to place a small piece of tape over the cut she had pointed out.

Rin smiled. "Now that the model's fixed, you can actually worry about the presentation that's due tomorrow for our Mythology class, right?"

I groaned. "That's tomorrow?  Dang it."

"You forgot all about it, didn't you?"

"Shut up."

Rin laughed, gently shoving me. "Asami, seriously, you need to take a break.  If at least to reorganize your workload.  Put in a temporary stand at Future Industries, at least for a couple weeks.  It's starting to take a toll on you, and we're only two weeks into the semester."

I looked up at her. "You know I can't, Rin.  We've been making so many strides getting the new stock into place that if I were to change positions, it could prove detrimental to our offers." I looked at the model. "Plus, there's no one else I really trust with running my company at the moment."

Rin put her hand on my shoulder. "Then stop complaining because I know you can do this.  Granted, Zhu Li and I have eased some of the burden, haven't we?" I nodded, thankful for their attention to detail. "All you have to do is sell the products to the buyers.  Don't put so much on your plate when you don't need to."

"You make it sound so easy, Rin."

"Because, for you, it is easy, Asami."

I leaned back in my chair, sighing.  Rin stayed on the bench, her foot swinging back and forth as she watched me.  I gave her a small smile before looking out the window, the beautiful blue sky almost smiling at me.  I couldn't help but think about Korra, only causing my smile to grow.  I looked at the clock that was on my desk and jumped to my feet.  I grabbed my keys and was practically running out the room when I heard Rin call after me.

"Where are you going?" She shouted.

I stopped and backed up to the door. "I've got to go, sorry!  Someone important is coming back into town today."

Rin crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrow raising. "And who is so much more important than your best friend that you're practically running out on her?"

I laughed, giving a wave as I started to run down the hall. "My girlfriend, that's who!" I shouted.  Today was the day Korra returned to Republic City along with the rest of the gang, and if there was anyone who could put me in a better mood, it was Korra.

I couldn't help but smile as I drove towards the docks.  I had only received a couple letters from Korra after I left; after my departure, Chief Unalaq made clear his intentions of "fixing" the Southern Water Tribe with his first action being the creation of a harbor quarantine.  Soon, news started to reach Republic City of an uprising in the Southern Water Tribe.  I was surprised to hear of the assassination attempt on the chief, but I was more surprised to hear that Tonraq had been named the leader of the attempt.

Then I started hearing news that Varrick had been playing a role in the assassination attempt as well.  When I first heard it, my blood began to boil; not only was he risking our business arrangement with the attempt, but he could have put my company in jeopardy that we wouldn't be able to climb back from if we were named conspirators.  The days following, I had spent worrying about Korra and my friends, stuck in the middle of the ordeal.  When I heard about the jailbreak, the blockade break, and Tonraq's rescue, the worry threatened to skyrocket to new levels.

It was only after I got Korra's last message that my heart start to ease.  Thanks to a prototype plane I had sent to Varrick's company as a gesture of goodwill before the meeting, Zhu Li had been able to help Korra and our friends escape the Southern Water Tribe.  All of them were on their way back to Republic City with the hopes that President Raiko would help in liberating the Southern Water Tribe.  More importantly, Korra was returning, and my heart couldn't soar any higher.

Pulling up to the docks, I was slightly surprised to see Chief Lin Beifong with her metalbending police officers waiting at the docks.  As I parked, I watched several of the officers begin to move some Water Tribe civilians into the back of their vehicles.   _Northern Water Tribe supporters._ I swallowed at the thought of how the city was going to react to the news of the civil disputes between the two tribes and quickly made my way over to Lin.

What would pass as a smile for Lin appeared on her face at the sight of my approach. "Well, well, well.  How am I not surprised to see you here, Ms. Sato."

I returned the smile. "Good to see you too, Chief.  Any sign of Korra?"

Lin pointed her thumb at the incoming ship.  My fist clenched at the sight of Varrick's company logo on the ship's flag. "You mean that one?" She asked.

We waited as the ship docked and the ship's ramp lowered.  Korra was the first one off the ramp, and I ran to meet her halfway.  As soon as I was in her arms, Korra lifted me off the ground and spun me around in a circle.  All of my worries from the past couple weeks came rushing back, and my arms tightened around her shoulders.  Sensing my sudden mood change, Korra set me back down, trying to soothe my worries.

"I was just so worried," I whispered in her ear.

Korra leaned back, an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry, 'Sami.  I'm ok though, I promise." I nodded, pulling her back into the hug while ignoring the small crowd that was gathering around us.

"While I would LOVE for you two lovebirds to continue this reunion," Lin interrupted as she walked towards us. "We have a much larger problem on our hands.  Namely the war that you've started, Korra."

"It's a lot more complicated than what you think it is, Beifong," Korra explained as she took my hand in hers.

Lin rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Mako. "Mako, I need you working tonight.  There's a Southern Water Tribe Peace March going on, and I want you there to make sure it doesn't get out of hand."

Mako nodded. "You got it, Chief."

"I'm coming too," Korra interjected.  Lin looked at her questioningly. "The Southern Water Tribe citizens need to know that I'm on their side."

Lin sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Sure, maybe that'll calm them down," she said sarcastically before leaving to walk back to her cruiser.

The rest of the group watched the police force leave, and I tightened my grip on Korra's hand. "Are you sure about this, Korra?  What if this causes more trouble for the Southerners?"

Korra looked at me. "If I don't show them the support now, then how am I going to get them the help they need from President Raiko?" She countered.

Zhu Li stepped forward. "Don't worry; I've already scheduled an appointment with the President tomorrow morning to discuss sending reinforcements.  For now, why don't we all take the night off and spend some time catching up with loved ones?  We can meet up at my apartment tomorrow morning at nine."

"That sounds like an excellent plan, Zhu Li!  We'll take back the South Pole in no time!" Varrick chimed in.

I looked at him, my eyes narrowing.   _Speaking of_ _Varrick_ _._ I took one step towards him, his attention turning towards me at the last moment before my right fist connected with his jaw.  The punch sent him reeling backwards, and he had the nerve to look offended.  Everyone around us, Korra included, looked at me stunned.

"If you EVER put Future Industries and its workers in jeopardy again because of something as stupid as an assassination attempt, that punch will be the least of your worries.  And if you think you'll still have ANY leverage in this business deal, then you are mistaken." The threatening tone in my voice caused everyone to stand a bit straighter.

Without another word, I turned back towards Korra, taking her hand and leading her back to my Satomobile, trying to calm my anger.  Hoping to give myself a longer time to cool and to avoid any traffic on the way back to my mansion, I made use of Republic City's backroads.  The drive was quiet, and it wasn't until we were halfway to the mansion that Korra finally spoke up.

"How mad are you?" She asked timidly.

My eyes remained focused on the road. "I'm more upset at the fact that Varrick put the well-being of my workers in jeopardy with this stunt."

"And my involvement?"

I remained silent for a moment. "If you want me to be honest, it worries me."

Korra nodded, and silence returned to the car ride.  We were traveling past through parts of the city that were hit the hardest by Amon's attack, and repairs were on the verge of finishing up.  It was then that Korra spoke up again.

"Hard to believe that this time last year, most of these buildings looked so different.  It was my first time being in a big city," Korra commented, her eyes on the construction.

I couldn't help the smile that appeared. "Hard to believe that I would fall in love with the Avatar shortly after she arrived in her first big city."

She chuckled. "Look who's talking.  I'm pretty sure I fell in love with you the first moment I laid eyes on you."

"Was that before or after Varrick found out he had Naga's chew toy?"

"Before.  It was when you came running around the corner of RCHS, a determined look on your face.  I'm pretty sure I was star-struck then and there."

I laughed. "To be quite honest, I was worried about why Varrick was squealing like a little school girl."

"Well it was a cute look."

By the time the conversation was winding to an end, we had reached the mansion.  As I pulled the car in to park, I noticed Korra's attention shift to the second car in the driveway.  I could practically sense the fear radiating off her body.

"Korra, what's wrong?" I asked as I turned the car off.

She turned her head towards me. "Who's car-"

"Finally girl! What took you so long!"

Rin sprinted from the front steps towards korra and I, a bright smile on her face.  She only started to slow down when she noticed Korra exiting the car with me.  I could see the gears turning in Korra's head, recognizing the second car as Rin's.  Her face was a mixture of confusion and conflict, and I took her hand, hoping that it would help ease her mind.  She looked at me, her eyes searching for something.  I squeezed her hand, hoping that my relaxed nature would help.

I turned to Rin, accepting a hug from her. "I told you I was going to go pick Korra up, Rin."

Rin nodded, her eyes turning back to Korra. "Sorry.  I keep forgetting that you and the Avatar are an item now," she said, a smirk on her lips.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to Korra. "You remember Rin, right?" Korra nodded once, her attention still on Rin. "She's staying here for the school year since we're both attending RCU."

I could see the discomfort pass quickly over Korra's face. "Oh, ok.  That's awesome," she said, the lack of enthusiasm evident in her tone alone.

I quickly explain Korra and I's evening plans to Rin before taking Korra's hand and dragging her towards my room.  I make sure to grab a couple apples on our way through the kitchen, the lack of a lunch starting to catch up to me.  Once we're in my room, Korra flops quietly onto my bed as I close the door behind me.

"What's wrong, Korra?" I asked as I sat beside her.

She stared up at my ceiling for a moment before turning her head towards me. "Did you...you know..."

I looked at her confused. "Did I what?  Korra, you're acting really strange."

Korra took a deep breath in, letting it out as she sat up. "Were you and Rin a thing before...before she moved away when you two were younger?"

I looked at her incredulously, a moment passing by before I began to laugh.  Korra's reaction to blush only made the situation funnier.  It took me a few minutes to calm down, but by then, Korra had turned a very dark shade of red.  I wrapped my arms around her right arm, pulling her closer to me.

"We were never an item before she left, Korra.  At the time, there were only three things on my mind," I said as I held up three fingers. "School, Future Industries, and boys."

Korra looked at me, the insecurity still present. "Really?" She asked timidly.

I smiled, leaning forward to kiss her softly. "Yes really.  I'm pretty sure she had a crush on Mako, and by the view we saw at the festival, the crush is still going on strong.  If you want to know who was responsible for me thinking about dating other girls, ask the last person I kissed."

I could see her eyes narrow a bit as she thought about what I said, and I had to hold back a laugh as she realized I was talking about her.  She sighed with a small smile, wrapping her arms around my waist to pull me closer. "I’m sorry, Asami."

I looked at her confused. "For what?"

"For being...extremely jealous."

I kissed her cheek, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "I love you, Korra.  You and only you."

She smiled back softly, leaning forward to kiss me softly. "I love you too."

I stood up, going over to my closet. "Now come on.  We have a dinner to get to," I said with a smile.  In the bottom of my stomach, though, was the beginning of a pit.  A pit that told me deep down this conversation was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay! School caught up with me hardcore, but here's a new chapter! To give you all an idea, I try to have the next chapter already written before I publish a new chapter. Hopefully I won't take as long next time!


	7. Dinner Before the March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The peach march is coming up, but Korra wants to take Asami out to dinner before it. What surprise does Korra have up her sleeve?

Korra insisted that she keep the location of dinner a surprise.  A gift for having to put up with her family as she called it.  I changed into one of my favorite red skirts and a white blouse, looking myself over in the full-length mirror.  The look kept for a nice dinner outfit while also giving more mobility for the peach march after.  I heard a knock at my door, turning to see Korra smiling at me as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Is that what you're going to wear to dinner tonight?" I asked, motioning towards her.  She was still in her casual clothes, and she rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish smile on her face.  I rolled my eyes, returning the smile. "That closet I set aside for you has plenty of options to sort through.  Go pick something out."

"Thanks Sami." I watched as Korra left the room to change before taking a seat on my bed.  I took a deep breath in and let it out, looking up at my reflection in the mirror.  It was still a strange thing to know that someone like Korra, the Avatar, was jealous over me.  It left my stomach turning in knots, and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face.

I stood up and changed into the blouse and the skirt, straightening the blouse as Korra came back into my room.  She had changed into a pair of black dress pants with a white blouse, black vest, and a blue tie to pull the outfit together.  She smiled, turning so that I could see the outfit from all angles, though I was glad she couldn't read minds as she continued to turn in front of me.  Silently, I was hoping my blush wouldn't give away my thoughts as well.

"How's it look?" Korra asked as she turned her attention back to me.

"Perfect."

Korra bit her lip, rubbing the back of her head. "You look way more perfect than I do."

I quickly closed the distance between the two of us, cupping her face in my hands and gently pressing a kiss to her lips. "Stop it, beautiful."

She kissed me back, her arms finding their way around my waist. "Not as beautiful as you."

Another kiss. "Stop lying."

"I'm not!"

I rolled my eyes, leaning into Korra. "So about dinner and this mysterious location.  Want to take me there?"

Korra smiled, taking my hand and practically dragging me out to the Satomobile.  She had insisted she drive, and I had to admit that her driving had improved over the past couple months.  It didn't mean I stopped gripping the door whenever she drove.  We were only five minutes into the drive, and I already had designs for a new Satomobile in mind for the replacement of my current one.  My knuckles were white as Korra pulled the Satomobile into a parking lot, an accomplished smile on her face.  I returned the smile, hoping it would hide the panic my heart was currently beating, and looked around at our surroundings.

We were in a classier part of Republic City, though it wasn't the high end that I had been used to for most of my life.  Korra got out of the Satomobile first, rushing over to hold my door open and help me out.  I looked around at the different restaurants and shops that lined the street, but it was the restaurant in front of me that caught my eye.  Korra must've caught me gaping a little because I could hear her snicker beside me.

I looked at her. "How did you get us into Mao's?"

Mao's wasn't one of the high-class restauraunts in Republic City, but it may have been one with how hard it was to get a reservation.  Everything was homemade with specifically fresh ingredients grown just outside of Republic City.  The staff took pride on their customer service, making sure that each customer left with a smile on their faces.  Just the thought tugged on the strings of my heart because it had been my mother's favorite place to go to for dinner when I was younger.

Korra smiled shyly, rubbing the back of her head. "I may have called in a favor or to after I went to get changed."

She offered her hand, and I smiled as I took it, letting her lead me across the street and to the front of the restaurant.  She held the door open for me, allowing me to walk in first.  A feeling of nostalgia washed over me as I looked around the dining center.  It seemed as if nothing had changed in the thirteen years since my mother's passing, and a small part of me was grateful.  As I continued to look around, I began to notice the small changes that had been made over the years, but it wasn't until I had walked further into the restaurant that I noticed how quiet it was.  I stopped and spun around; there were no customers at all.

I looked up at Korra, who was watching me with a smile. "Korra.  Why is there no one else here?  Usually Mao's is almost packed by this time of day," I asked tentatively, my eyes narrowing slightly at my girlfriend.

Her smile grew wider, and I heard the swinging door of the kitchen.  She waved to the person, but her eyes remained on me. "I may have also called and booked the entire restaurant for you with the favors."

"That she did," a voice said from behind me.  I turned to see the owner, Mr. Kawamura, smiling with his hands on his hips. "It's the least I could do for the Avatar after she saved my restaurant from that fire a couple months ago." He bowed slightly to both of us. "It's good to see you again, Ms. Sato.  It's been a very long time since you've been here."

I returned his smile.  His hair had grown grayer than last time I had seen him, but he was still the sweet old man I remembered. "That's true, Mr. Kawamura, but I haven't forgotten all the times my mother would bring me here."

Mr. Kawamura nodded, the memory of my mother bringing a slight sadness to his eyes. "May her soul rest.  Your mother was a good woman, and she'll always be dearly missed here at Mao's," he said before motioning towards one of the middle tables. "Now come, and take a seat.  Your dinner is already cooking in the back, and it's on us."

Even Korra was surprised by this. "But Mr. Kawamura-"

Mr. Kawamura raised his hand, stopping Korra. "I insist, Avatar Korra.  It's the least I could do for the both of you."

Korra looked at each other before sighing and turning back to Mr. Kawamura with smiles on our faces. "I guess we can't say no, can we?" I aasked with a chuckle.

He smiled proudly. "Not at all."

We watched as he headed back into the kitchen before taking our seats at the table.  I smiled, leaning forward on my elbows and taking Korra's hand in mine.  She smiled, leaning forward to kiss me gently before quickly pulling back.  I rolled my eyes but my smile never wavered.  I listened as she began to fill me in on everything that had happened the past two weeks, the passion in her voice filling the room.  It was one thing to see Korra fight for those she loved, but it was another to actually hear her speak about it.

_You don't deserve someone like her._

It was a brief moment, but the thought ran its course through my mind in an instant.  This was the first time since my nightmare on the ship that a negative thought had made its way through my mind.  The surprise at the thought must've made its way to my face because Korra's expression became concerned.  Her hand squeezed mine gently.

"Everything alright?" She asked, her hand not loosening its grip.

I smiled softly. "Yeah, sorry.  What were we talking about?"

'I was talking about how school's going to be a bother when I head back tomorrow after my meeting with President Raiko, but that can wait.  What's going on, Asami?"

Gently lifting her hand to my lips, I placed a kiss on her knuckles. "Nothing.  I thought I had forgotten to turn in one of my projects, but I remembered I had already turned it in earlier this week," I lied, a smile on my face to dissipate any other questions.

Korra's eyes narrowed slightly but nodded.  I could see in her eyes that she wasn't convinced, but neither did she push it any further.  I mentally breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn't mean that the negative thought didn't worry me.  Korra continued to talk, her excitement about playing in the High School Bending Championships again bleeding into the conversation, but my mind couldn't focus on the conversation.  Even as dinner arrived and Korra began to happily dig into the food placed in front of her, my mind continued to wander.

Did I deserve her?  She was the Avatar, after all.  I was just a regular girl who couldn't do the amazing things that she and the guys could do.  She met me by chance.  She smiled that goofy grin of hers at me as she continued to eat, and it made my heart clench.  I loved her with all of my heart, and the thought of losing her was tearing me apart.

As if reading my mind, Korra leaned forward and surprised me with a kiss. "I love you, Asami."

I blinked a couple times before smiling softly at her.  I leaned forward to return the kiss. "I love you too."

She smiled before returning her attention back to the food in front of her.  The tension in my chest began to ease as I watched her, and I was again reminded of why we were here.  I was in love with Korra Sparks, and she was in love with me.  Nothing was going to come between us, so there was no need to worry.

* * *

 

After dinner, Korra and I made a stop by my office at Future Industries.  There were a few notes that I had to take care of before the march tonight, and it was about the only time I was going to finish them before tomorrow morning.  Korra spent the time looking around my office, silently admiring the small statues that I had placed on the bookcase opposite of my desk.  I finished writing small notes to upcoming meeting times and looked up to see her staring at a statue of a tiger and her cub.

Korra caught me staring at her, a smile on her face. "This is an interesting statue," she said, reaching out to run her index finger over the cub's head.

I walked over to her, watching as she felt the texture of the statue. "I've had that one since I was a little girl.  My mother gave it to me."

Korra stared a moment longer at the statue before returning her attention to me. "Ready to go to the peace march?"

I smiled and nodded, taking her hand as we left my office.  Naga barked at the both of us as we made our way over to my Satomobile.  The peace march was being held down at the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center.  The center had been host to several of our earlier dates, so I decided to take a shortcut to avoid the traffic.  Even on the side streets, vehicle and foot traffic began to increase the closer we got to the center.  I pulled into the first open parking spot I saw, not wanting to get into the heavier traffic that I was sure was closer to the center.

Korra was the first one out of the Satomobile with Naga close on her heels.  I got out and locked the Satomobile before joining Korra on the sidewalk, taking her hand as we began our walk to the center.  Water Tribe citizens, both Northern and Southern, were making their way to the center along with other members of the community.  Most didn't pay attention to us, but some of the Northern Water Tribe citizens who did pass a glance towards us would do so with angry glares towards Korra.  I could feel Korra's grip tighten when she saw the looks, but my soft smiles of reassurance seemed to ease the tension out of her if only for a little while.

When we arrived at the cultural center, I could see several Republic City Police Force vehicles already present with several barricades set up.  Korra and I moved closer to the barricades, and I saw Lin standing with a few of her officers by the farthest statue.  The shouting from the crowd seemed to increase in volume when it became clear that Korra was present, with the Northerners making their opinions known the loudest.  The tension was so thick that one could cut it with a knife, and it only made Korra start to tense more.

I leaned over, kissing her cheek to break her from her thoughts. "Hey, just relax.  Everything's going to be alright," I whispered in her ear.

Korra sighed, some of the tension leaving. "It's just...I don't want this fighting, but what my uncle did to my father wasn't right," she spoke softly.

"I know, but we'll figure something out, ok?"

Korra nodded, turning her attention to the surrounding police officers. "Do you see Mako anywhere?  Maybe he has an idea of how we can help calm this crowd down."

I looked around the area, my eyes searching for that familiar hairstyle that belonged to Mako.  I recognized a few of the officers, some of them having worked with Mako on a few of his cases, but there was no sign of our friend.  A faint growl from Naga snapped my concentration, and Korra and I looked down at her.

"What is it, girl?" Korra asked.

Suddenly a blast erupted from a building on the far side of the cultural center before a series of similar explosions began going off inside the cultural center.  People were screaming; others were running around us.  I found myself on the ground after another series of explosions went off near us, Korra covering my body with hers.  My ears were ringing from the explosions, but I could faintly hear Naga's barking before Korra's voice began to become clearer.

"Asami, are you ok?" Korra asked, worry deep in her eyes.

I nodded, trying to calm the shaking in my hands.  Korra nodded, moving off of me before helping me to my feet.  We looked around, both of us finding Lin directing orders to her officers.  We sprinted over to her, only vaguely catching her orders to help control the crowd and help the nearby injured.  Korra looked to the fire that had replaced the explosions in the cultural center before running over to the largest fountain in front of the building.  I watched as she began to waterbend the water out of the fountain, quelling most of the fire as several fire trucks began to arrive.

Several officers began reporting in to Lin, and it was then that I saw Mako rushing over towards us.  I ran to meet him, and Korra joined us a moment later.

"The Northern Water Tribe is starting to get out of control!" She exclaimed, frustration clearly written on her face.

Mako look at us grimly, which made my stomach twist. "Korra, I chased after a firebender.  He was responsible for setting off the explosions.  The Nothern Water Tribe might not be responsible for this."

Korra looked at Mako angrily. "Of course they are!  Why would anyone else want to bomb the SOUTHERN WATER TRIBE Cultural Center?!"

Before Mako had a chance to respond, Korra ran off to continue helping the firefighters extinguish the fires.  I looked at Mako, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it to heart, Mako.  She's just stressed out over the entire situation, and tonight didn't help matters."

Mako nodded, holding up a device. "I know what I saw, Asami.  That firebender used this device to set off the bombs right before we got into a scuffle.  I don't know if the Northern Water Tribe is involved or not, but I know a firebender when I see one."

I nodded, watching as Mako left to go report his findings to Lin.  It was disturbing to think that people were taking advantage of this civil war between the two Water Tribes for their own sick games.  They deserved better than that.  I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose before turning towards the crowd of remaining Water Tribe members.  They watched Korra and the firefighters continue trying to put out the fires, fear still etched into their facial expressions.  I was scanning the crowd, trying to think of any way as to help ease their fears, when I saw her.

_Rin?_ I blinked a couple times, but after doing another search of the crowd, there was no sign of her.  I shook my head.  My mind was so tired that it was playing tricks on me.  Still, just the thought of someone looking like Rin sent shivers down my back.  There was something wrong about this entire peace march, from the firebender Mako fought to the person who looked like Rin, and I couldn't put any of it together.  I turned to look at Korra and saw her thanking the officers and firefighters, a bright smile on her face.  I bit my lower lip and hoped that I was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I've found my groove again! It may disappear though because projects, but I promise I'm working on it!


	8. Aftermath of the Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra has her meeting with President Raiko about sending troops to the South Pole.

I yawned, stretching out in my seat as I waited for my Engineering professor to arrive.  I looked at the clock at the front of the lecture hall; Korra was supposed to be in her meeting currently before she went to class.  I had volunteered to go with her, but Varrick had insisted that it just be the two of them.  Zhu Li had practically shoved Varrick out of the room afterwards.  So here I was, patiently waiting for my class to start while my girlfriend was meeting with the President of the United Republic to try and save her tribe from her uncle.  I sighed as I rubbed the back of my head.

I looked around the class, not surprised to see a few more students stand up and leave the room.  Our professor was already fifteen minutes late, and we weren't required to stay longer than that if there was no professor.  I looked down at the model I had brought with me, the one I was hoping to get feedback on its design, and sighed as I began to pack up my things.  As I finished putting my notebooks away in my bag, my professor rushed into the room, papers stuffed underneath his arms.

The short, old man huffed as he set the papers down on the desk. "I apologize for being so late cla-" he began to say before realizing how many of his students remained in the room.  He sighed as he sat down in his seat. "For those of you remaining, I apologize.  I was called in to consult on the repairs to the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center this morning, and it was hell trying to get back to campus.  Seeing as majority of your classmates have already left, I'll increase the deadline for your projects, but I will give feedback to the designs for those of you who have stayed."

At hearing that the deadline was extended, the rest of the class stood to leave with smiles on their faces.  I watched as all left without going up to the professor with their designs.  Taking my model off of my desk, I walked up to his desk, seeing the fatigue etched under his eyes.

"Professor Iniko, I was hoping you could look over this model for me and give it a review," I said as I placed the model down in front of him.

He nodded, taking the small model off of the desk to look at it carefully.  His eyes widened as he watched the mechanics move smoothly, a smile appearing on his face. "Well done, Ms. Sato.  I'm impressed that you were able to make a working model with straws," he said as he sat the model back down on the desk. "Have you started working on the actual prototype?"

I shook my head, picking the model back up. "I wanted to see if there was anything else I was missing out of this model before I began to work on the prototype."

He smiled, leaning back in his chair. "I didn't see anything too bothersome, but I applaud your caution.  Go ahead and begin creating the prototype model, and if you have any questions, please come see me.  Just be aware that once you start to use the proper materials, changes will need to be made."

I nodded. "Thank you." I turned to walk to the door, pausing as my hand wrapped around the doorknob to turn and look at Professor Iniko. "If you need any help in the repairs to the Cultural Center, I'd be more than happy to help."

He smiled a soft smile at the offer. "Thank you, Ms. Sato.  I'll keep that in mind.  Have a good day."

I returned his smile. "Have a good day, sir."

I left the Engineering building and was halfway to my Satomobile when I felt someone jump onto my back.  Instinctively, my arms reached around to wrap around their legs.  I looked over my right shoulder and saw Rin smiling a wide grin at me.  I rolled my eyes, releasing her legs so that she could slide off of my back.

"How was class?" She asked as she walked next to me to my Satomobile.

I shrugged. "Iniko was late because he got called for consultations on the repairs to the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center, but I was able to still get feedback on my model."

Rin smiled, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "You didn't have any negative feedback, did you?" I shook my head. "See!  I told you everything was going to be ok with the model.  Now all you have to do is actually build the thing."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not that simple, Rin.  I need the right materials, and it's still going to take me a couple months to actually build it."

Rin looked at me with a smirk on her face. "Yeah, sure.  If you and I work on it together, we can have it up and running in two weeks tops."

"I am not letting you work your ass off on my project when you have your own projects to finish."

"Girl, just let me help you out!  You've got school, Future Industries, and your girl to worry about.  Let a friend help you out for once."

I sighed. "Thanks for reminding me of everything on my shoulders.  Sucks to be me right?"

Rin laughed, shaking my shoulder. "Girl, you're dating the most powerful bender in the world, and it sucks to be you?  I would love to be in your shoes right now!"

I rolled my eyes, gently punching her in the arm before smiling at her. "You better not try to steal Korra away from me, Rin, or we're going to have a talk."

Rin laughed as she made her way to the passenger side of my Satomobile. "As if.  You couldn't be mad at me if you tried!"

We smiled at each other, laughing at our conversation.  It was only noon, so I had plenty of time to spare before I picked Korra up.  Even as Rin and I continued the light banter, I couldn't help but think about her words as I drove back home.  I was dating the most powerful bender in the world, and we loved each other.  We had proven it before that nothing could come between us, giving my hope a much-needed boost.

After dropping Rin off at home and grabbing a bite to eat, I drove back into the city to Republic City High School, finding a spot in the far corner of the parking lot under a tree.  The plan for the day was to pick Korra, Bolin, and Opal up after they were released and to meet Mako at the boys' new apartment downtown.  Thanks to Mako's new salary and some help from Opal, it was one of the nicer two-bedroom apartments, and this was our first get together since Korra's return.

Bolin and Opal were hand-in-hand with Korra right beside them as they left the building, uneasy smiles on their faces as they spoke with her.  I could tell by Korra's expression as she talked that her meeting with Raiko hadn't gone well.  When she saw me waiting for them, a small apologetic smile appeared on her face as if already apologizing for her sour mood.  I shook my head slowly, smiling back as I made sure the doors were unlocked.  Korra slid into the front passenger side while Bolin held the backseat door open for Opal.

I leaned over towards Korra, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "We don't have to talk about the meeting right now," I whispered before starting my Satomobile.

Korra gave me a grateful smile, sighing as she buckled in and leaned back in her seat. "I kinda want to though, or I know it'll eat at me the entire afternoon."

I nodded, watching Bolin get into the Satomobile out the corner of my eye before shifting it into drive.  I pulled out onto the street and began to drive to the boys' apartment, knowing Korra's silence was because she was collecting her thoughts.  She started out collected, her voice getting angrier as she detailed her meeting with Raiko.  Her anger seemed to burst when she got to the part of Raiko's decision not to send United Republic Forces to help the Southern Water Tribe.

"It's like he doesn't even care," Korra huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her explanation of the meeting had taken up majority of the drive, and she finished just as I found a parking spot near the apartment building.  I looked over at Korra, gently taking her hand in mine. "Korra, it's not that he doesn't care.  He's just in a difficult position; the most that the civil war has affected Republic City has been the protests and then the cultural center bombing.  The war hasn't affected us here enough to warrant sending soldiers."

Korra's face scrunched up in frustration at my words, and she pulled her hand away from mine quickly as she got out of the Satomobile.  She slammed her door shut before heading for the apartment building.  I looked to Bolin and Opal, and they gave me their best sympathic smiles.  There wasn't much we could do outside of continue to be a source of support for Korra, but it was eating away at me that there wasn't much more we could do outside of that.  I sighed and got out of my Satomobile with them, following them inside the building and up three floors of stairs.  As we neared the boys' apartment, we could hear Korra and Mako arguing.

"You wouldn't have to keep saving the world if you didn't keep messing it up!" I heard Mako shout, and for a moment my heart stop.   _He did not just..._

Korra stormed out of the apartment and right past the three of us.  She pushed past us, not caring who she bumped past, and stormed down the stairs.  I turned to follow her on instinct, but Opal's hand found mine before I could take a step forward.  I looked to her, and she shook her head, silently telling me to stay with them for the time being.  I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.  Korra just needed time to cool off; she wasn't going to do anything stupid.  I followed Bolin and Opal inside the apartment to find Mako sitting with his arms crossed over his chest looking like a child who was just put into timeout.

"What was that all about?" Opal asked, her eyes narrowing at Mako.

Mako huffed and murmured, "Korra's upset about the whole Raiko thing and took it out on me.  She literally thinks I'm not doing anything when Beifong assigned me to the Cultural Center case and to find out who's behind its bombing. "He jumped to his feet, hands raised high above his head. "I can only do so much on my end!"

I frowned, rubbing my nose again as I moved over to look out the window.  The entire situation was putting everyone on edge, and it was only threatening to get worse.  My hand moved to start rubbing small circles on the back of my neck.   _Maybe if I there was something I could do.  Some way I could help_ _Korra_ _out.  If I wasn't so useless..._

A hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to find Bolin smiling at me. "You alright?" He asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

I looked behind him to see Opal and Mako looking at me with similar worried expressions, though Mako's had more of an apologetic feel to it.  Looking back at Bolin, I nodded once. "Sorry, just lost in my thoughts is all."

His smile never wavering, Bolin pulled me into a hug. "We'll figure something out, ok?  I know Korra's trying her hardest to fix this, but she's stubborn enough not to admit she needs help.  We just need to be there to remind her that she's not alone in this.  She's got me and Opal.  She's got Mako.  She's got you," he said, his hands moving to my shoulders. "Just give her some time."

A smile of my own began to slowly appear. "Since when did you become the emotional pep talk guy?"

Bolin smiled his goofy grin, rubbing the back of his head. "Pretty sure that's you and Opal rubbing off on me."

I laughed a little before turning back to the window.  Patting my pocket right above my keys, I turned to head for the door.  Mako looked at me in confusion as I passed him. "Where are you going?" He asked as I reached the door.

I turned to look at him. "I'm going to find Korra.  Like Bolin said, she thinks she's alone in all of this, but she's not.  She has us," I said with a smile. "That's one thing she's always had.  She's always had her friends."

They each gave me a smile before I left the apartment to head out on my search for my girlfriend.  This civil war was threatening to tear us apart, but our bond was stronger.  To hell was I going to let anyone or anything try to convince Korra differently.

It didn't take long to find Korra.  The amount of confused bystanders followed by quick bursts of air were clear indicators of which direction she had stomped off in.  I gave reassuring smiles as I quickly gave chase after Korra, hoping that in the time it took for me to catch up to her most of her anger would have subsided.  She went down alley after alley, knowingly avoiding crowds of people.  It was when familiar shops began to appear that I recognized she was heading towards the park.

When I did catch up to Korra, I found her sitting on a bench, her head in her hands.  I felt the tension in my shoulders relax at the sight of her, and I sat beside her.  She was quiet for a bit, her head not lifting from her hands.  I gently began to rub her back, content with letting her calm down before starting a conversation.  It was after a few minutes that a sigh escaped her body, her head rising up slowly.

"Sorry," she whispered as she stared at the ground.

I looked at her confused. "For what, Korra?"

"Storming off.  For acting like a hot head again," she said, clasping her hands together on her lap. "I need to go to apologize to Mako, too."

I smiled a little, wrapping my arm around Korra's waist and laying my head on her shoulder. "It'll be ok, Korra.  You're just stressed out with everything that's going on.  We'll figure out a way to help your dad, I promise."

Korra nodded, her eyes now on her hands.  We sat together in silence for a moment before her shoulders began to relax.  My smile grew as she leaned back against the bench, her arm wrapping around my shoulders.  Even stressed to the max, we both found comfort in each other's presence.  She knew that I would always be there to comfort her.

"So, Zhu Li told me that you found a potential partner to help get Future Industries back on top," Korra said, a teasing smile on her lips. "Varrick huh?"

I groaned. "Oh don't even start.  This is already looking to be a gigantic pain, and I don't need you making it even worse," I said in a playful tone, poking her side.

She chuckled, leaning forward to press her lips against my forehead. "Come on; let's get back to the others before Bolin and Opal start to worry about us."

I sighed and nodded, standing up first before holding my hand out to Korra.  She smiled, standing next to me and taking it without hesitation.  She leaned into my side as we began to walk back to the boys' apartment, content with listening to the bus of activity around us.  I knew from the many expressions that passed over Korra's face that she was deep in thought once more.  The building was coming into view, our friends waiting outside for us, when I felt Korra stop.

I turned to look at her, surprised to see her signature cocky grin on her face. "What is it?"

"I think I have an idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah...I may have the next 2 chapters already written. Let's just say everyone's in for a treat. Please don't hate me for it though!
> 
> Make sure to follow me on tumblr. It's were all updates First Love related are published. My username is libs1317


	9. Plans in Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra has a plan, and Asami finds herself in the middle of it. Is she ready for the surprises that are coming her way?

"So run this by me again.  Why does your idea involve Varrick?"

Korra and I were on our way to the docks after I had spoken to Varrick on the phone about his whereabouts.  I had a previously planned appointment with him today, so bringing Korra along just meant that Zhu Li wouldn't have to be alone in helping me keep calm around Varrick.  Korra had this determined look on her face, one that didn't hold a mixture of fear and anxiety as I had been accustomed to seeing the past few days.  It was somewhat reassuring to see her becoming more like the old Korra in how she was dealing with the current situation, but it still worried me that she might reverent into running straight into something with her temper.

"I'll explain when we get inside," was all Korra said as we made our way up the ramp and into the ship.

I sighed, choosing to take the lead towards Varrick's main office.  My fingers drummed against the folders in my hands as I began climbing the stairs, the sheets they contained filled with numbers of varying stocks under Future Industries.  I had just made it to the top of the stairs, about to take another step forward, when I felt Korra grab my arm from behind, pulling me back hard.  Not a second later, an arrow whizzed past where I had just been standing, and it embedded itself into a target to my left.  I turned my head towards where the arrow had come fromm finding Varrick, Zhu Li, Bolin, and Opal all looking at Korra and I with wide-eyed expressions.

My grip on my folders began to tighten. "Varrick," I said, the threatening tone making him cringe.

Varrick quickly dropped the bow and held his hands up in surrender. "Please don't kill me!"

I was about to respond, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.  I looked to Korra, and she shook her head.  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning back to Varrick. "Do it again, and I swear you won't be able to use your hands again for another week.

Varrick nodded, and he moved behind Zhu Li as if she were to shield him from my wrath.  She rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Korra and I. "Am I right to assume that with Korra's presence that this isn't just about our meeting, Asami?"

Korra nodded. "You're right to assume that, Zhu Li," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "The president isn't going to act, so we have to take matters into our own hands."

Varrick rubbed his jaw and he began to process Korra's statement.  Opal looked at us, worry heavy in her eyes. "If the President won't help, then what are you going to do?" She asked Korra.

Korra looked as if she was going to answer, but she hesitated.  It was the first time in a long time that I had seen her unable to answer a question with confidence.  It was then that I realized she was hoping that Varrick had some plan of his own for her to fall back on.  She wasn't too far off from the idea.

Varrick jumped out from behind Zhu Li and snapped his fingers, a smile on his face. "I got it!  What if we went straight to the troops?"

I raised an eyebrow at his declaration. "Bypass the President?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.  This plan was waving red flags high and proud.

Korra smiled at the thought, looking to me. "We can go talk with Iroh."

General Iroh "The Second" Ninich was the youngest general in United Forces history.  He was also instrumental in combatting Amon's forces to help Korra and our friends save the Airbenders, Lin, and myself from Amon's clutches.  Iroh's forces had suffered greatly due to my father's involvement, but that didn't stop him or his men from doing their best.  He had insisted we contact him should we ever find need of his services again, but I was sure that he didn't mean like this.

I frowned, turning my attention to Korra. "I don't know how willing the United Forces would be with letting us essentially 'borrowing' their forces to go down to the South Pole, Korra."

"We can try, Asami, and it might even help out Future Industries," Varrick added, taking a step forward with a smile on his face.

I narrowed my eyes at him, causing him to take a step back. "Care to explain how this is supposed to benefit my company?"

Varrick smile widened. "Those mecha tanks can be sold to the United Forces to help with the battle against the Northerners!"

I bit my lip hard at the thought.  When I had taken over control of Future Industries, I had sworn that I wouldn't create machinery that would endanger lives, and Korra knew that.  She understood that, or so I had thought.  Now Varrick was suggesting we use those mechas to help the Southern Water Tribe battle the Northern Water Tribe, where plenty of people were bound to be hurt.   _That's not what I wanted those_ _mechas_ _to be used for.  They were supposed to be-_

Korra's hand took mine, interrupting my thoughts.  I turned to her, seeing a pleading look in her eyes.  I knew she could see the conflict in my eyes, and for a moment her eyes mirrored the same conflict.  Deep down, I knew that she wanted to do whatever she could for her people, but at what cost was she willing to risk?  I sighed.  It was who Korra was, always putting others before herself.  It was one of the reasons about her that I loved.

"The waters have become dangerous since the entire spirits thing started, but if you're willing to try, then so am I," I said to Korra.

Korra and Varrick smiled before high-fiving each other.  I rolled my eyes at their enthusiasm.  Here they were being excited over sending equipment down to the South Pole that could potentially endanger lives.  It made my stomach toss at the thought.  Either sensing how uncomfortable I was with the plan or possibly seeing the uncomfortableness on my face, Korra's hand squeezed mine, and she placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Just think, Asami.  With the United Forces and your mechs, we can defeat Unalaq and the Northern Water Tribe in no time!" She said with a bright smile. "A lot faster than having to wait on President Raiko.  I just don't get why it's so hard for him to help support the South."

I opened my mouth to answer, but Varrick waved me off.  I bit my bottom lip in irritation. "Wait until they see this new pro-South tidbit I managed to create with Zhu Li," he proudly proclaimed, looking to Zhu Li expectedly.

Zhu Li narrowed her eyes at Varrick before taking a breath and walking over to a cover.  She pulled it off to show off some machine. "I was able to create a way for us to record images, and we were able to get some help from other Southerners to help record part of the occupation.  We were able to grab quite a few of the records before we had to escape the South."

Varrick smiled, clapping his hands together. "We'll cut some scenes together, throw Bolin in as the hero, and before you know it, these movers will be getting the citizens of Republic City on our side in no time!"

I narrowed my eyes at Varrick. "Just who's idea was it to build this 'mover' machine and use the footage?"

"Mine, of course," Varrick replied proudly.  When he got five matching unconvinced expressions, his confidence began to sink dramatically. "...it was Zhu Li's idea."

I shook my head before turning to Zhu Li. "Do you think it'll work?"

Opal placed her hand on my shoulder. "We won't know unless we try, Sami," she said with a smile before turning towards Bolin.  He was in the midst of a conversation with a highly animated Varrick. "Just...let's not let any of whatever fame may come from this go to Bolin's head, shall we?"

Korra chuckled, gently elbowing Opal's arm. "Those fangirls from the arena still following him around?"

Opal threw an angry glare in Korra's direction, but a gentle tug on her wrist stopped her from moving any further.  I looked at my watch before looking up to Korra. "We need to go, Korra.  I have some work to do back at the house, and it's getting close to dinner time."

Korra's eyes lit up at the mention of food. "Bye Opal!  Bye Bolin!  We have to go!" She exclaimed before practically running out the door.

I rolled my eyes with a small smile, beginning the walk down the stairs towards the exit.  I was only a few steps down when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I turned to see that it had been Opal who stopped me. "What's up?" I asked.

"Everything ok?" She asked, a slight worry to her voice.

I looked at her confused. "Yeah, why?"

Opal looked around, presumably to make sure Zhu Li and Bolin weren't paying attention. "I'm just...It's going to sound really stupid, but I'm worried," she whispered.

"Worried about what?"

"You and Korra."

I blinked my eyes in surprise. "What about Korra and I?"

Opal crossed her arms over her chest.  I'd known Opal for a while, and her current expression meant she had been thinking about this for a while now. "I know I shouldn't be saying anything, but Korra and I had a talk.  About Rin.  And I saw how uncomfortable you were about agreeing to sending those mechs down to the South to be used in their civil war."

My hands went to my hips. "Look, I'm just going to humor Korra and Varrick right now with these mechs and the troops, but what does this have to do with Rin?"

Opal raised an eyebrow at me. "Really, Asami?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What's going on, Opal?"

"You mean to tell me you don't see how hard she's been trying to flirt with you since you two started living together?"

I raised my eyebrow. "What are you talking about?  She's not flirting with me."

Opal rolled her eyes. "Uh huh.  COme find me when you're not lying to yourself, Asami.  Everyone sees it.  Especially Korra.  So you might want to make sure that those lines are drawn so that both of them know where they stand in your life."

I watched as she turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving me with so many questions.   _Had I really been_ _nai_ _ve_ _?_ I couldn't help but think about the past couple weeks that Korra had been gone and I had lived with Rin.  I hadn't put much thought into how Rin had acted towards me.  Everything had been like before she moved to the Fire Nation, and I had other things on my plate with worrying about Korra, Future Industries, and my college classes.  If what Opal had said was true, just how long had I been ignoring Rin's flirting?

I walked out to the Satomobile, still thinking about Opal's words, when Korra's words broke my thoughts. "Everything ok?" She asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

I smiled at her, climbing into the driver's seat. "Yeah, I'm fine.  Just making a mental checklist of all my homework that needs done tonight is all."

Korra smiled, leaning over to kiss my cheek and rub small circles into my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Asami.  When we get home, you go ahead and go start working on your projects.  I'll take care of dinner."

"...Or we could just order out."

"My cooking isn't that bad!"

"Korra, you almost burnt down your house back at the South Pole."

"...It was just a one-time thing.  An accident.  I've gotten better."

"I am NOT letting you burn down my house, Korra."

The banter was light the entire way home, and eventually I was able to convince her to order delivery.  It gave me a chance to steer Korra's mind away from worrying about me, but I couldn't help but be a hypocrite as I continued to worry over Opal's words.  Maybe I had subconsciously pushed any obvious flirting from Rin to the back of my mind, focusing on Future Industries and my class work until Korra came back.  It just meant that I needed to find time to talk to Rin about it, to find out if what Opal said was true or not.  I had to know if one of my closest friends had feelings for me.  I had to know if, deep down, I had feelings for her too.

Rin wasn't home when Korra and I returned.  I checked my phone, but there were no messages from her.   _Maybe she's just out with friends tonight._ Yet, all I could feel was a hole in my heart.  I bit my lip at the feeling.  I shouldn't be feeling this way, so why am I?  I groaned softly, rubbing my temples.

As Korra ordered food from her favorite restaurant, my treat of course, I went to my room to begin working.  My desk was filled with different papers, ranging from reports from Future Industries to differing assignments from my classes.  Pulling my chair out, I found myself staring at the papers but finding no motivation to actually start working on them.  In all honesty, I didn't have the motivation to do anything but talk to Rin, but I forced myself to work on the papers.  The first few papers were easy to write out because the class itself was an elective.  Once they were completed, I turned my mind towards the department reports from Future Industries; majority of the status updates were to remind me of the resources we were slowly running of that kept their departments running.  I sighed, moving some of the reports to the side when one of the remaining sheets caught my attention.

It was a design of some sort, but it was not one of mine.  The handwriting was not my usual scribble when I was trying to quickly jot down ideas.  It was a glove of similar design to my shock glove, but the scribble was unreadable to my eyes.  It was clear that the design didn't hold the pack of electricity that my glove did, but there was no indication as to what the intention of the design was for.  I was so focused on the schematic, trying to decipher its writing, that I failed to notice Korra entering the room.  She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek, causing me to jump and quickly cover the schematic with my hands.

Korra looked at me confused. "You ok?"

I looked up at her, trying to calm my pounding heart. "Yeah, sorry.  You just scared me is all."

She smiled, leaning down to kiss me softly. "Sorry.  I didn't mean to."

I kissed her back, giving her a smile of my own. "It's alright.  Dinner on its way?"

Korra nodded. "Ten minutes."

I kissed her cheek. "Alright, I'll be down in a few.  I just need to reorganize my desk first."

Her arms squeezed around my shoulders. "Don't overwork yourself, Sami.  Remember to take a break every once in a while."

I rolled my eyes. "Like you do, Miss I-Need-To-Shoulder-Saving-Everyone?" I laughed.

Korra huffed before she kissed my cheek with a smile.  I watched as she left the room before turning back to the schematic.  The feeling that I was getting from it didn't set well, especially when it was clear this was someone else's design based off of my glove.  Opening up one of my drawers, I slid it into a hidden compartment and closed the drawer.

Little did I know that it was only the beginning of a larger plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, let me know what you think of the story so far! I've still got a lot more chapters coming, so please continue with the hits, leaving kudos and comments, and stay tuned!
> 
> Make sure to follow me on tumblr for any updates!


	10. Steakout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra remains missing, but Asami has bigger issues to deal with, namely finding out who's been attacking her ships.

The rest of the week trudged on as normal.  Along with finishing my class work, Zhu and I were busy preparing for the mechas to be shipped to the South Pole.  Rin was grateful enough to help Zhu Li crunch out numbers when she had time to spare, but I had yet to talk to her about what Opal had told me.  I was hoping for a chance to ask after I returned from a business meeting while Korra was out to talk to General Iroh about the possibility of sending his troops today.

I rubbed my eyes as I pulled into the garage and saw Rin sitting on one of my workbenches, a smirk on her face. "Do I even want to know?" I asked as I stepped out of the car.

"Oh just you know, Zhu Li and I finished all of the reports and the mechas are ready to sail to help the Southern Water Tribe is all," Rin said with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

I looked at her with wide eyes. "Those reports weren't supposed to be finished for at least another day.  How did you two manage?"

Rin jumped off of the bench, hands on her hips. "Zhu Li is brighter than she admits to being, that's for sure.  I only helped speed up the process by maybe a few hours."

I smiled, knowing what this news would mean to Korra when she got back later tonight. "That's great, Rin.  Thank you."

Rin waved off my thanks, smiling as she walked with me inside the house.  It was quiet between the two of us, and I didn't realize how nervous I was until I caught my hand shaking as I reached for one of my water bottles in the fridge.  It was now or never with this talk, and it had been put off long enough.

I sighed, closing the fridge before turning towards Rin. "Rin, we need to talk."

She tilted her head to the side a little. "About what?"

I swallowed hard, trying to find the words to say. "I...There's something..."

Concern began to blossom over Rin's face. "Are you and Korra doing ok?"

Of course her first thoughts were to go to Korra.  I sighed. "It's not about Korra.  It's about you and I."

I could see Rin's eyes narrow slightly. "What about you and I?"

I took a deep breath in before hardening my gaze at her. "Do you have feelings for me, Rin?"

She blinked a few times, a range of emotions running across her face.  Her mouth opened for it only to close again.  Silence began to develop between us, and the anxiety of the standoff was building quickly.  fearing that I had done something wrong about confronting her about it, I was about to speak when she sighed with a sad smile.

"You finally figured it out after all these years, huh?"

I felt my heart sink at the confession. "Rin, I-"

Rin held her hand up to stop me from continuing. "Just...let me explain, ok?" I swallowed but nodded once for her to continue.  She took a deep breath to collect her thoughts before looking back up to meet my eyes. "Yes.  I have feelings for you, Asami, and I have since we were kids.  There was never a right time for me to tell you, and I didn't exactly know how to.  I didn't know how you felt, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship, so I just...hid the fact.  When I found out I got accepted into RCU, I was exstatic, and then I found you down at the South Pole, and now we're leaving together as roommates.  You were back in my life, and I didn't want to lose you again."

My heart was racing at the confession.  I bit my lower lip, trying to process all of it but failing miserably by the concerned look Rin had on. "I...need a minute."

I left before Rin could stop me, heading straight for my Satomobile.  I didn't know where Korra was, so my first instinct was to call her.  When her phone went straight to voicemail, I went to the next person I knew would answer their phone:  Opal.  Thankfully, she answered on the second ring.

"Asami?" She asked.

"Can I come over?" I asked, my voice still shaky.

Immediately hearing my voice shake, Opal's voice brightened up. "Sure.  I'm over at Bolin's right now, so head on over."

It didn't take me long to reach the apartment, and I quickly made my way up the stairs.  Opal opened the door quickly, ushering me inside when she saw how upset I was. "What's wrong?"

I swallowed before the tears started to rush. "You were right.  You were so right."

Opal pulled me into a comforting hug. "What happened?"

I wiped my eyes, explaining to her my conversation with Rin.  Opal sat through it all, watching as I went from upset to angry and back to tears again.  I explained how I even tried to call Korra, hoping that her voice would help calm me down but the call went straight to her voicemail.  I buried my face into her shoulder, the stress of the past few weeks finally catching up to me.

"Maybe Korra's just busy getting Iroh's troops ready to send down to the South Pole," Opal said, a smile on her face as I looked up to her expectedly.

It was then that my phone began to ring.  Hoping that it was Korra, I looked down expectedly only to see that it was actually from Iroh. "Hello?"

_"Asami?  It's_ _Iroh_ _.  Are you near_ _Korra_ _currently?"_

I looked up at Opal. "No, I thought she was still with you?"

_"_ _No,_ _she left a while ago.  I was just calling to see if she had made arrangements to go see my mother and grandfather to talk about their troops."_

I frowned. "I thought that's what you were talking to her about in regards to the United Forces troops."

_"_ _Raiko_ _found out her plans, but I had suggested she speak with my mother and grandfather about their support.  I had assumed she had left to act on my suggestion."_

I bit my lip. "She may have, and I just haven't seen her to ask.  Thank you for the heads up, Iroh.  I appreciate it."

_"Of course, Asami.  If you or_ _Korra_ _need anything, please let me know."_

"Thank you." I hung up the phone, staring down at it before looking to Opal. "Have you heard from Korra?"

Opal shook her head, looking at me concerned.  She was about to say something when Bolin walked in with food in his hands.  He smiled at us as he held the food up, but it was slowly replaced with a frown as he saw our mirrored expressions of concern.

"What's going on?" He asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Korra's missing.  No one's seen her since her meeting with Iroh.  Apparently Raiko found out about her plan to get the United Forces troops and ordered Iroh and his troops to stay in Republic City waters," I answered, pocketing my phone. "I tried calling her earlier, but it went straight to her voicemail."

I could see Bolin shift on his feet, but before I could, my phone began to ring again.  It was Zhu Li's ringtone, and I answered on the first ring. "Zhu Li?"

_"Asami, there's been another attack on one of our ships."_

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Again?  That's the third one this week."

_"Can you come down to the station?  I'm with Mako right now, and he thinks he's on to something.  The way the captain of the ship was explaining the attack, it may have something to do with the attack on the cultural center as well."_

"I'll be down there soon in five minutes." I hung up the phone before turning to Bolin and Opal. "I have to go.  Another one of my ships was attacked last night."

Opal's frown deepened. "Another?"

I nodded, grabbing my keys out of my pocket. "With this attack, Future Industries is in danger of closing, so I have to get to the bottom of this."

Bolin put a hand on Opal's shoulder and smiled at her. "Don't worry.  Mako's going to help her find out who's behind these attacks.  That's why he's a police officer."

Opal nodded and turned her attention back to me. "Just be safe."

I smiled. "Always."

* * *

 

Mako and I watched as the dummy crates for our sting operation were loaded onto the ship Varrick had given us.  Due to Mako's status as a beat cop, Lin wasn't giving him the proper authorization to conduct an operation like this, but Mako and I agreed that this couldn't be pushed under the rug any longer.  My company, the last remnant of my family, was all I had left with my mother's passing and my father's jailing.  There were so many people counting on the business of Future Industries to help them take care of their families that I couldn't let them down.

"That's the last of the dummy crates.  Let's get this operation going," I said, turning my head to Mako.

He shook his head. "Not yet.  We need some extra manpower."

I pulled out my phone, seeing that there weren't any new messages or missed calls.  It had been hours since I had last heard from Korra, but after a quick call to Opal and Bolin, the hunt for her had already begun. "I wish Korra was here.  She'd be a great help."

Mako seemed to hesitate at the mention of Korra but quickly regained his composure. "I uh...I thought she was heading out of town?"

"She was supposed to, but I hadn't heard from her yet.  Hopefully she made it there ok."

Mako smiled at me, but I could see that there was something he wasn't telling me. "I'm sure she is.  Now about this extra manpower, I think I know someone who could help, but it's going to be...interesting to say the least."

I raised an eyebrow at him as he walked with me to my Satomobile. "I guess we could use all the help we could get.  Where am I taking us?"

Mako hopped into the passenger seat. "You're not going to like it, but I wouldn't be taking us there if we had more options."

Of course I didn't like where he was taking us when we ended up in Triple Threats headquarters.  I knew Mako and Bolin had done some work for the gang when they were younger, but it still didn't set right sitting in at their headquarters discussing their part of the operation.  In order to get their help, I offered several of the new models of Satomobiles that had just completed production to their leader, Viper, and he was pleased with the offer.

I rubbed my temples as we left their headquarters. "I can't believe I made my first underworld deal tonight.  I feel like my father."

Mako placed his hand on my shoulder. "You're not your father, Asami.  I promise, I'll be sure to keep an extra tab on the Triple Threats after this operation, and it'll be easier to track them knowing that they're using vehicles that haven't hit the market yet."

I nodded as I climbed into my Satomobile before checking my phone for the fifth time that night.  Mako could see my frustration of not hearing back from Korra yet but offered his sympathies as best he could.  It just wasn't like Korra to not call or text me for this long of a time period, even when she was in the middle of a fight.  Bolin and Opal's search hadn't turned anything up, but we had yet to tell Lin for fear that it could send the city into fear if word got out that the Avatar was missing.

I drove to the docks, and soon enough, there were several Triple Threats meeting us at the ship.  I watched as the men made their way onto the ship but stuck with Mako most of the night.  As the last of the men made their way up into the ship, I saw one last person make their way towards us.  It wasn't until they were in the light did I realize that it was Rin.

"Rin?  What are you doing here?" I asked, quickly walking over to her.

She smiled a little at me. "I heard you were going to be doing something stupid and potentially dangerous, so it was only right for me to come looking for you."

I looked to Mako, who gave me a guilty smile, before turning my attention to Rin. "We've got this taken care of, Rin."

Her expression hardened. "Look, Asami, I know you and I are on some uneasy ground after earlier, but I want to help you.  I know what Future Industries means to you, and I'm not about to let some Northern Water Tribe guys take that away from you."

I looked at her for a moment before sighing. "Fine."

Rin smiled at Mako and I before joining us as we made our way onto the ship.  It took us about an hour to get out to the waters where the attacks on the previous ships had happened, but the sea looked quiet tonight.  I knew praying for it to stay like that was useless, but I did so anyways.  The guy that had been accompanying us majority of the night, Two Toed Ping, was mindlessly talking about Korra and where she currently was.

"Two Toed Ping, enough," Mako snapped, his eyes trying not to look towards me.  I sighed softly, silently thanking him for ending the conversation.

Finally taking the hint, Two Toed Ping moved on to showing us why he had his namesake.  I bit my lower lip, trying to will myself into thinking about anything but his two extra toes.  I wanted anything to happen, even if it meant that the ship was going to get attacked, if it meant that I wouldn't have to hear Two Toed Ping talk about anything else for the rest of the night.

Mako was getting restless as well and left Rin and I with Ping as he walked off to find Viper.  I was ready to throw Ping off the ship when Mako quietly caught my attention.  I looked to Rin, who nodded, before looking to make sure Ping wasn't paying attention to us.  We quickly made our way over to Mako, but the expression on his face didn't make me feel any better.  It was bad news.

"We've been double-crossed.  We need to get off this ship," Mako said as he grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the speedboats.  The look of alarm on Rin's face only made my stomach drop lower as she followed Mako and I.

Just as we got to the end of the hallway, we turned and ran into Viper and his main group. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked with his twisted smile.

 _Shit._ Mako firebent at the group, knocking them onto their backs as I jumped onto one of the speedboats with Rin close behind us.  I watched as he jumped into the back, cutting the ropes to the speedboat with his firebending.  The boat was already on as it hit the water, and I quickly sped it away from the ship.  

"They're right behind us!" Rin shouted, holding onto the railing of the speedboat.  I could hear Mako firebending at the chasing boat, but all of my focus was on getting away from our pursuers.  Blocks of ice continued to shoot up in front of us in hopes of crashing our boat, but thanks to my time in our racing Satomobiles, my reflexes were faster.

What I wasn't prepared for was the water shooting underneath us, lifting us high into the air. "Hold on!" I shouted at Mako and Rin as our speedboat plummeted back to the ground.  Thankfully it didn't tip as it hit the water, and we were still ahead of the Triple Threats.

We were getting into sailing waters, and there was a lot of traffic going on for this time of night. "They're gaining on us!" Mako shouted over the horns that sounded around us.

"Not for long." I directed the speedboat towards two of the ships, easily maneuvering between the two.  One of our pursuers wasn't as lucky, their boat tipping as they tried their hardest not to strike the first ship.

"One down, one to go." Mako smiled confidently at Rin and I before the second boat sped past in front of us.

I turned our boat sharply, but I could feel the stall coming.  We slowed to a halt, and fear started rising in my chest.  I continued to try and get the engine to roll, but it continued to fight against my attempts.  Seeing the difficulties, Mako jumped onto the hood of the boat to try and firebend against our pursuers, only to be knocked onto his back as their boat rammed into ours.  Viper jumped onto the hood, a poisonous smile on his face, but Viper jumped over Mako, landing a kick to Viper's chest and knocking him back into his own boat.  It was then the boat started to roll over.

"Mako!  Rin!" I shouted at both of them, and they nodded at my warning, jumping into the back of the boat.  I whipped the boat hard to the left, letting Viper's boat slam into the docks of a building.  I quickly sped away from them, my heart racing.  I looked up to Mako. "What was that all about?"

His expression hardened at my question. "Someone paid the Triple Threats to keep us distracted."

My eyes widened at his statement. "No..."

By the time we arrived back at the docks that belonged to Future Industries, my hopes were slowly fading.  As soon as we were docked, I jumped out of the boat and ran to the warehouse, flipping the lights on.  All of our equipment, the planes and the mechas that were supposed to go to the Southern Water Tribe, was gone.

"I'm ruined," I whispered. "My company...it's over."

Rin's hand found my shoulder. "What about your other warehouses?"

I shook my head. "Everything...everything was here." I could feel the tears in my eyes.

"I can solve this, Asami." I heard Mako say as he joined us.

"Just stop!  It's over!" I snapped at Mako and instantly regretted it when I saw Mako's expression.

Rin looked between the both of us before grabbing my hand. "We'll be right back.  Meet us at her Satomobile," she said as she dragged me away and out of sight.

I let her drag me, the fight in me now lost. "Rin, stop.  It's over.  I give up."

Rin stopped and turned to me. "Don't say that, Asami.  We'll find everything.  Future Industries isn't going down."

"Don't you get it!  All that I had left for the company is gone, Rin!" I shouted before I lost my voice. "I give up."

Her hands found my cheeks, lifting my eyes so that they were meeting hers. "Well, I'm not giving up on you," Rin said.

I stared at her, and the next thing I knew, we were kissing softly.  The moment was quick as she pulled back, a slight blush coming up to her cheeks.  We stared quietly at each other, lost for words, when we heard Mako shouting for us.

"I...uh...we should get going," I said softly.  Rin nodded, walking back with me to Mako.

_What did I just get myself in to?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick: This is a planned series, with future projects following Books 3 and 4 and to look into the 3 year gap between 3 and 4 along with an epilogue. With Turf Wars out, I do not know if I'll include it into the series or not, but the endgame will ALWAYS be Korrasami. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave in comments or find me on Tumblr. Let me know what you think of the chapter below, and leave those kudos!


	11. Saving Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the equipment lost, Future Industries is sure to follow. What is there left that Asami can do to save her company?

I didn't sleep well that night, and the next day of classes felt like an eternity to get through.  There was no word from Korra, Mako was out trying to figure out who paid the Triple Threats to double-cross us, and Rin was trying her best to keep my hopes up with Bolin and Opal.  Even as they tried, there was nothing they could do to bring my spirits up.  I was losing everything, and I hadn't felt this lost since I lost my mother.

I was staring at my model engine, the one that Professor Iniko had applauded, in my office when I heard a knock on my door.  I looked up to see Rin standing in the doorway with ice cream bowls in both of her hands.  It was just another attempt to try and get my spirits up, same as before.

"Hey," she said with a small smile.  I looked back down at the model, hearing her sigh as she walked over to me. "Asami, you can't stay like this forever."

"I'm losing Future Industries, Rin.  How do you expect me to act?" I didn't mean to snap, but I was tired of having to repeat myself to everyone.  There wasn't anything we could do to save the company, and I was going to lose the last piece of my mother.

Before Rin could answer, a knock at my door snapped caught both of our attentions.  Standing in the doorway with a wide smile on his face was Varrick. "Hey there, Asami."

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "What do you want, Varrick?"

"I'm here to save Future Industries!" He declared proudly.

I looked to Rin, who matched my skeptical look, before turning my attention back to Varrick. "Varrick, we already tried that with the business partnership.  It sank when all of my assets were stolen last night.  Future Industries is done."

Varrick walked over to my desk and slammed a pile of papers down on my desk. "Not if I buy a controlling interest in Future Industries it's not."

I looked up at Varrick before going through the papers. "And what's in this for you?" I heard Rin ask Varrick.

"The one thing I care most about in this world:  ME.  If we bring Future Industries and Varrick Company together, then Varrick Industries could be a world-wide sensation!" Varrick exclaimed with a smile.

I looked up at him, my eyes narrowing. "I am not renaming my company Varrick Industries.  You can do that for yours if you want, but Future Industries will STAY Future Industries."

Varrick waved off my glare. "Fine, fine, but do we have a deal?" He asked as he sat down in the chair across from my desk.

I looked back down at the paperwork Varrick had given me.  We still didn't know who had attacked our ships, but he was my last chance at keeping Future Industries afloat.  It would mean the world to our workers, and it wasn't like I had any other choice with their futures resting on my shoulders.  I nodded. "We have a deal," I said as I began to sign the papers.

I had just signed the last one when Mako burst into my office. "Asami, I think I know who set us up."

I looked up in surprise at his sudden arrival.  Varrick turned around in the chair to look at him as well. "Hello Mako."

I could tell from Mako's reaction that he was caught off guard by Varrick's appearance in my office. "What are you doing here?"

I stood up and moved to the other side of my desk. "He's saving my company.  He just bought a controlling interest in Future Industries."

"Great, isn't it?" Rin asked, though I could see the skepticism in her eyes.

Varrick stood up. "I'm always looking for ways to help out the little guy, especially if that little guy can help this guy become a bigger guy!" He proclaimed as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.  

I moved his arm off of my shoulder, glaring at him.  Moving away from him, I turned my attention back to Mako. "So what were you saying?  You know who hired the Triple Threats?"

Mako nodded, his eyes still on Varrick. "Yeah, and I'm real close to proving it." He turned his attention to me. "Can we talk later?"

I nodded. "Uh, sure."

Mako eyed Varrick one last moment before leaving my office.  Varrick turned to me with a big smile on his face as he collected the paperwork and took his leave.  I sighed, sitting back down in my chair and leaning back against it.  Another check of my phone, and there was still no reply from Korra.

"You're still worried about her," Rin observed as she watched me.

"Of course I am.  It's been an entire day since the last time I've heard from Korra, and she never goes this long without a text or a call.  I've tried calling her, but it goes straight to voicemail.  I called Iroh last night, and accordingly to his mother, she never made it to the Fire Nation," I said as I looked up at Rin. "I don't know what's happened, and I'm scared that Unalaq somehow managed to get his hands on her."

Rin walked over, placing her hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, Asami.  We'll find her."

A week would past before I would hear from Mako again.  Lin had him on late night assignments, and the Triple Threats weren't helping matters.  We were to meet up at Varrick's mover sets with Bolin.  Rin offered to tag along, though I'm sure it was because there had yet to be any news from Korra.  My temper had flared far too often in the past week, mainly due to Korra's absence and the lack of worry for her.

When we got to the mover set, we found Opal watching Bolin hanging from a set piece.  When she saw us, Opal gave us a sad smile before looking back up at Bolin. "Um...any particular reason he's hanging from that thing?" Rin asked as she watched Bolin struggling to get down.

"For some stunt for the mover," Opal sighed. "He was captured by this bird thing while trying to save Ginger." Her voice at a bit of a bite to it at the mention of Ginger.  She looked up at us. "Seen Mako yet?"

I shook my head. "We just got here."

A door slamming open revealed Mako.  He was in his police uniform as he made his way over to you. "Asami!  Great, you're here." He looked around the room. "Where's Bolin?"

"Up here!" Bolin called before finally freeing his legs and falling to the ground.  Opal sighed as Bolin whined about hitting the floor and went to help him to his feet.

Mako shook his head at his brother's antics before looking to me. "I know who's been stealing from Future Industries:  Varrick."

Bolin looked at his brother incredulously. "What?  No."

"He attacked his own ship?" Rin asked, her eyes narrowing at Mako.

Mako nodded. "He wants Republic City to go to war, and he wants to control the business that stand to make the most profit from it.  He already controlled the shipping, and all he needed was Future Industries."

"He helped save Future Industries, though, Mako.  Without him, the company was going to foreclose," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Plus, this is Varrick we're talking about.  He relies too much on Zhu Li to be some evil mastermind."

"I don't think Zhu Li knows about this, though," Mako countered.

Opal put a hand on Mako's shoulder. "Mako, maybe you should take a break off of this detective work.  You sound a bit too stressed."

"That's because I am!" Mako snapped back.

"See, this is why I had to move out," Bolin said, wrapping his arm around Opal and pulling her away from Mako.  Opal glared at him for a moment but didn't pull away.

I looked to Bolin then to Mako. "Wait, you two aren't living together anymore?  Since when?"

"Earlier this week," Opal answered.

I looked back to Mako. "Sounds like you've had a busy week," I said as I put my hand on his arm.

I caught Bolin looking back and forth from Mako to me. "Wait...Are you dating again?!"

I jumped at his exclamation. "What?  No!"

Mako glared at his brother as Rin tried to stifle a laugh. "Bolin, you're being ridiculous."

"Korra just left a week ago!" Bolin exclaimed, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me at the mention of her.

"Bolin, we are NOT dating because I'm STILL with Korra," I said, my voice a bit harsher than before.  It quickly shut down any conversation about Korra.

Mako rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Guys, listen.  When I stopped by here last week, I talked with one of the guys working the demolitions scene for Bolin's mover.  The detonators they use are the same ones that were used at the Cultural Center attack.  And the explosions were done the same way as how the captain of the third ship described the attack on his ship."

Rin crossed her arms over her chest. "It doesn't mean it was Varrick, Mako.  Anyone who had access to Varrick's technology could have taken and used it."

Mako narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm not going to drop this.  You all will see that I'm right about Varrick sooner or later!" We watched as he stomped out to the exit.

I rubbed my temples.  Rin placed her hand on my shoulder, a gentle smile. "Hey, don't worry.  He'll get over himself, sooner or later."

I nodded and turned to Bolin and Opal. "We've got to head out.  I need to get some work done for class tomorrow."

Bolin and Opal waved goodbye to Rin and I as we headed to my Satomobile.  It was a quiet ride back home, but I could feel Rin's eyes on me.  She didn't speak up until we made our way inside.

"Ok, Asami, what's up?  And don't tell me it's nothing because I know better." Rin said, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sighed, taking a seat in the living room.  I was quiet for a moment before I found myself asking a question in a soft voice. "What if she left me?"

Rin's hardened expression softened as she realized what was truly on my mind.  She walked over to me, kneeling in front of me.  The question had been plaguing me since the first night of no contact with Korra.  All those nightmares from before, all of those voices that had made their appearances, now everything was making sense.  Maybe they were warning me of the inevitable, but there had been no reason to believe them until now.  I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't realized I had been crying until Rin reached up to wipe my tears away.

"Korra wouldn't do that to you, Asami.  You know that," she said with a smile. "And if she did, I don't care if she's the Avatar or not, I'm going to kick her ass." I laughed a little, but the worry in Rin's eyes never left. "She'll come back soon, Asami.  You just gotta hang in there."

"What if she doesn't?"

Rin's eyes hardened again at the thought before grasping my hands in hers. "Then she doesn't deserve you."

I looked Rin in her eyes.  A friend that had come into my life only to leave me alone and then return.   _Would I have met my friends if she hadn't moved to the Fire Nation?  Would I have met_ _Korra_ _?  Would I have turned out like my father if she had stayed?_   So many questions ran through my eyes as her hands cupped my cheeks.   _Would I have fallen in love with her like she did with me?_  A split second passed after that thought before Rin's lips pressed against mine in a soft kiss.  The worst part was that I returned the kiss, if only for a moment.

Gaining control of my thoughts once more, I pulled back quickly, the guilt already eating away at me. "I uh...I have to go."

I didn't wait to hear her response as I rushed out to my Satomobile, quickly starting it and driving towards Republic City.  My mind was running a million miles a minute, and I ran through the options of who I could go talk to.  I didn't want to go to Opal for fear of Bolin overhearing us.  With the entire Varrick thing going on, I couldn't put anything on Zhu Li right now.  Which left only one other option.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number, the person answering the phone after one ring. "Hey, can I come over?"

* * *

 

Mako's apartment was quiet when I got there now that Bolin and Opal weren't there as well.  It only took two knocks for Mako to answer the door.  When he saw the look of defeat in my eyes, he quickly ushered me inside, bringing me a bottle of water.  I took it with a nod before sitting on the couch.

"What's up?" He asked, taking a seat beside me.

I stared at the water bottle before looking to him. "I kissed Rin," I said quietly.

Mako blinked in surprise before a comforting look washed over his face. "Are you and Korra..."

I shook my head. "I haven't heard from her at all, but I don't know if it's because she's missing or she just doesn't want to talk to me again."

"Asami, you know that's not true.  She loves you."

My grip clenched the water bottle harder. "And that's what makes all this suck worse because I love her too, and I went and kissed another girl.  A friend that she already was thinking was going to try and steal me away from her.  I'm over here almost confirming her thoughts while she's still missing, and nothing's being done about it!" I shotued as I threw the water bottle.

Mako wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug. "Hey, shh.  It's alright.  Everything's going to work out.  Everything's going to be ok."

I wiped my eyes, sinking into his chest.  He rubbed my arm, waiting for me to calm down on my own.  Once I knew that I had regained controls over my emotions, I sat up, taking the offered tissue.  I dabbed my eyes before taking a deep breath.  Mako looked like he was going to say something when a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Police!"

I looked at him confused, and he shrugged, standing to answer the door.  In the hallway was Lin and two of Mako's coworkers, Lu and Gang.  I stood as they entered the apartment, my eyes following Lu and Gang as they began looking around the apartment.

"What's the meaning of this?" Mako asked Lin.

"We busted some Triple Threats who said that you hired them for a job," Lu said as he walked into the kitchen area.

Mako sighed, turning to Lin. "It's true.  We were trying to figure out who was attacking the Future Industries ships, so we hired them for a sting operation.  I'm sorry for going behind your back."

Lin lifted her chin slightly. "According to the Triple Threats, you did more than that.  They said that you were involved in helping them steal a warehouse full of Future Industries property."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "That's crazy!"

Mako was in just as much disbelief. "You're going to believe a bunch of criminals?"

I could see some sympathy in Lin's eyes. "I have to follow up on a lead, Mako.  You know that.  Especially one of this nature."

It was then that Lu came out of Mako's bedroom, a duffle bag in his right hand and a stack of cash in his left held up high for everyone in the apartment to see. "Well, looky what I found:  cash and these," he said as he reached into the duffle bag and pulled out a stick of explosives.

Lin's eyes narrowed at Mako. "What are you doing with explosives, Mako?"

Mako looked at her wide-eyed. "I don't know where those came from, Chief."

Gang moved to Mako, pulling Mako's arms to his back as he put the cuffs on. "You're under arrest, Mako."

Mako looked to Lin. "None of that is mine."

Gang scoffed at Mako. "Should've known you'd hook up with your old pals.  Once a Triple Threat, always a Triple Threat."

I shook my head. "This has to be a mistake."

Lu laughed. "Sorry to break it to you, but your friend here is just another crooked cop.  That sting operation was just a way to lure you away from your warehouse.

Gang smiled at me. "He was using you the whole time."

I looked to Mako, his eyes pleading with me. "Asami, you know me.  I would never do anything to hurt you." I watched as Gang began to lead him out of the apartment. "It's Varrick, Asami!  He set me up!"

I bit my lower lip, listening as Lu and Gang laughed at Mako's words.  My fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly as I tried to think about the entire situation.  I looked down at my phone, a picture of Korra and I smiling together looking back at me.   _If_ _Korra_ _was here._ I took a deep breath in and let it out.  This night was just getting better and better by the minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the responses from last chapter. Korrasami is END GAME for the series, and First Love does follow the events of Book 2: Spirits, so the 3 year gap has not occurred yet.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments below or find my on tumblr!


	12. Mover Premiere Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's been no word on Korra. The night of Bolin's final mover as Nutuk has arrived. Maybe tonight is the night that Asami needs to relax.

It'd been almost two weeks since Korra had disappeared on her way to the Fire Nation.  No one was looking for her.  Mako was in jail.  Bolin was a mover star with Opal trying to keep his head grounded.  I was working with Varrick and Zhu Li to keep Future Industries afloat.  Rin was trying to keep me focused and distracted at the same time so that I wasn't thinking about Korra and focusing more on my company and my school work.  This wasn't how I wanted our live to be like right now, but it wasn't my decision to make.

Tonight, I found myself finishing up the new designs for the Cultural Center.  Professor Iniko had brought me onto his team after seeing a live version of my model last Friday.  I had spent majority of the weekend working on the designs, and it made me feel a bit closer to Korra.  She would've like the designs I had made and probably loved the fact that I was on the team helping to restore the center.  There was a knock at my door, and I looked up to see Rin dressed to the nines as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

Tonight was the showing of the finale for Bolin's mover "Nuktuk: Hero of the South."  He had invited us all to attend with him, and Rin had talked me into taking a break from the company and school work.  I shrugged, sliding the designs into their tube before placing it on the rack next to my desk.  I got up and walked over to my closet, searching through my varying assortments of formal clothes.  Each one had a memory to them, but I couldn't help but think of Korra.  Our dates were the last time I got so formal.

A hand on my shoulder brought me out of the memories, and I turned to see Rin. "You ok?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just give me a second to change, and I'll be ready."

Rin nodded. "Did you go see Mako today with Bolin?"

I shook my head, looking down. "I wanted to, but seeing him in a jail cell...it would only remind me of my father."

"That's understandable.  I'm sorry I asked."

I waved off her apology. "It's not your fault, just my decision.  Give me like twenty minutes, and I'll be ready to go."

She smiled softly at me before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her.  I looked through my dresses, picking out a red one that tied around the base of my neck.  I quickly slipped it on and redid my makeup from earlier.  Double-checking I wasn't missing anything, I went downstairs to join Rin in the lobby.  Bolin was supposed to be picking us up, said that it was his treat as a mover star.

I was kind of surprised when he showed up with a limo, though I could feel the tension in the limo as Rin and I climbed in.  Opal was sitting to Bolin's left, arms wrapped around his as she shot daggers at his co-star, Ginger Moore.  When she saw Rin and I, she gave a small smile before turning her daggers back to Ginger, who didn't look up from her magazine.  I sat beside her, giving her knee a pat.

The ride to the stadium was quiet and awkward.  The mover was being played at the pro-bending arena, and there was a long line of admirers waiting for us.  Bolin and Ginger were the first to get out, followed by Opal, Rin, and then myself.  I could see the fan girls following Bolin's every movement, and I even heard the announced from the arena, Shiro I think is what his name was, say that Bolin and Ginger were Republic City's famous couple.  I looked over to Opal at the sound of that, and I could tell it was taking every bit of her sanity not to run the announcer down.

I took her hand in mine, nodding towards the arena. "Come on, let's go find our seats."

Opal sighed and nodded once.  She followed Rin and I inside the arena, silently walking the path to our seats.  Since Bolin was the one who got us our tickets, we were sitting with him in the VIP section right next to President Raiko's booth.  He and his wife, Buttercup, were the guests of honor, though I knew Varrick was only doing that so that he could try and persuade the President to change his mind.

I watched as Varrick gave a speech before the beginning, though even I could hear the subtle hints that he was throwing towards President Raiko about his lack of involvement with the Water Tribe Civil War.  I leaned back in my chair, my fingers tapping on my knee as I waited for the mover to start.  I had to give Varrick credit; his use of the movers was done well, and I could understand why so many people were in love with Bolin.  His acting was great.

I leaned over to him. "I think this is your best mover yet."

He gave me a sad smile before looking down. "I just wish Mako was here to see it."

I took his hand in mine and squeezed it softly before returning to the mover.  It was interesting to see how the story played out, though I could do without the extra bits that I knew Varrick had added to it.   _Seriously,_ _Paku_ _with_ _laser eyes?_ At least Bolin could sell his parts, though after Juji's death, Bolin left the seats.  I looked to Opal, who shrugged, but as she moved to follow him, I held up my hand.

"I'll go see what's up," I whispered before following Bolin outside.

I found him outside near the waterfront, leaning against the railing.  I walked over to him, seeing his depressed expression. "Are you ok?"

He sighs, leaning forward onto his elbows. "Yeah.  I know everything that happens in the mover.  Juji lives, the doomsday rotates the Earth's polarity, spoiler, spoiler, spoiler."

"Then if it's not the mover, what's on your mind?"

Bolin looked out to the water before looking back at me. "I guess I just really miss my friends.  Like don't get me wrong, all this is great.  I'm really moving up in the world, but it just doesn't feel the same without the gang with me.  It's great that everyone that could come with me tonight did, but without Mako and Korra, it doesn't feel right." He sighed. "It just feels like Team Avatar is falling apart."

I sighed, looking out at the water. "I know what you mean, Bolin." I looked up at Air Temple Island, wishing that Tenzin and his family were back to help us look for Korra. "Things have changed so much since we first met." I bit the inside of my lip before gently elbowing him. "Come on.  Come back inside and finish watching the mover with Opal, Rin, and I."

Bolin smiled at the nudge, looking back out to the water. "You go on ahead.  I just need a little bit more time to myself."

"Don't take too long, or Opal will be out here hunting you down."

Bolin chuckled at that, which got me to smile at him.  Waving him goodbye, I walked back inside the arena.  I found my way back to my seat, giving Opal a reassuring pat on the shoulder.  I saw that Rin was missing, and looked to Opal.

"Restroom," she whispered with a smile.

I nodded, taking my seat next to her, and turned my attention back to the mover.  We had just gotten to the part where Bolin had already spoiled it for me when a commotion next door in the President's suite caught our attention.  Suddenly, the ground around us started shaking as if someone was earthbending nearby before a group of three men were thrown out of the President's suite.  I recognized the garb they wore as Water Tribe, and soon enough, Bolin was jumping out of the President's suite and onto the platform below.  We watched as Bolin battled the three, taking advantage of his knowledge of the arena to drop the three men with ease.

Looking to Opal and Rin, both nodded at me, and we quickly made our way down to the stage that led out to the platform.  Bolin knocked the final guy into one of the pillars on the stage as we made our way over to him.

"Who sent you?" He demanded, an earth disk in the air.

The man threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "Varrick!  He's the one who sent us!  Please don't hurt me, Nuktuk."

All the anger washed out from my body, and the earth disk Bolin had in the air dropped to the ground.   _No._ I look towards Varrick's suite in time to see Lin was already in the process of arresting him.  My heart sank when I saw that Zhu Li was being arrested as well.  I looked to my friends, and we made our way out of the arena, following the crowd of people outside to watch Varrick and Zhu Li be put inside one of the police Satomobiles.  I watched as Lin came outside with President Raiko, her expression hardened.

"His plan was to kidnap you and blame it on the North," she explained before turning towards the Satomobile that held Varrick and Zhu Li. "Then Republic City would have no choice but to join the war on the side of the South."

President Raiko sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe Varrick would do something like this, and no one saw it coming."

I turned to Raiko. "Actually, someone did.  Mako saw it, and he tried to warn us all."

Lin nodded as Raiko turned to Lin. "You've got a great officer on your hands."

Lin stood at attention. "He's one of the best." When she looked at me, I could tell that arrangements had already been made to release Mako, and that made my heart relax.

Soon, swarms of photographers were surrounding our group, trying to get as many pictures of Bolin as they could.  As he began to smile and pose, Ginger came running up to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and planting a kiss on his lips.  All of us, except for the press, were stunned by the act, though it didn't take long for Opal to replace that shock with anger.  Stomping her way over to Ginger, Opal grabbed Ginger by her red hair and pulled back hard.

"Keep your hands OFF of my boyfriend!" She shouted before taking Bolin's hand and dragging him back over to us.

Rin and I couldn't help the smug smirks on our faces as we watched Opal drag Bolin back over to us.  Opal rolled our eyes at us before a wide smile appeared. "Let's go tell Mako the good news!"

As we were preparing to go to the limo, a familiar sky bison appeared in the air above us.  I could see Tenzin at the reins.  Then I saw her, and my eyes and heart lit up.   _Korra_ _!_ She was ok!  We watched as they descended, but Korra's first stop was to run to Raiko, a worried expression on her face.

"Mr. President, I know I've asked for your help before, but Unalaq doesn't just want to take over the South.  He wants to destroy the world," she said, and the world froze around us.

"Destroy the world?" Bolin asked before looking at Rin, Opal, and I. "He really does have a doomsday device?"

Korra looked at him confused before shaking her head. "He's trying to release a powerful dark spirit during harmonic convergence, which is only a few days away.  If he succeeds, then the world as we know it is doomed." She turned her attention back to Raiko. "Sir, we desperately need your help."

Raiko sighed, his expression never wavering. "I'm sorry, Korra, but my answer is still no."

His answer seemed to snap something in Tenzin. "Raiko, there's thousands of lifes on the line, and my daughter is one of them.  You must reconsider."

Raiko lifted his chin slightly. "I'm well aware that lives are on the line, and that's precisely why my troops are staying here.  If the world is going to be thrown into chaos, as you claim, I need to protect my citizens."

Bolin looked to Raiko. "Sir, please-"

Raiko held his hand up. "Son, I appreciate you saving the lives of my wife and I, and I am a big fan of your work, but my decision is final."

We watched as Raiko walked over to his wife and they left the arena in one of the limos. "I never should have saved that guy," I heard Bolin whisper under his breath, prompting a small laugh from those who heard him.

I smiled and shook my head before stepping forward. "If you need help, I'm here for you."

"So am I," Opal agreed.

"Me too," Bolin second, evening earning a nod from Rin.

Korra smiled at all of us, taking my hand in hers. "Thank you, all of you." She pulled me into a hug. "It's so good to see you again."

I hugged her back, holding onto her tightly. "I've missed you."

She smiles. "I missed you too." She looked around at our group. "Where's Mako?"

I looked at our friends before turning back to Korra. "I'll explain on the ride home."

Korra looked at us confused but followed us to the limo.  On the way back home, each of us took turns updating Korra on the past two weeks she had been gone.  She was hard to read throughout the explanations, but I watched as her hands would go from relaxed to clenched and then back again several times.  I shared a look with Rin, and I could see the sadness in her eyes.  I was going to have to tell Korra about the two kisses we had shared, but I wanted to do it privately.

Once we were back home, those of us who had gone to Bolin's premiere quickly changed into our casual clothes, smiles on our faces as we left to go get Mako out of jail.  Bolin was insistent that he be the one to tell Mako the news in person first, so we let him go alone.  Korra was talking with Lin and Tenzin when Opal pulled me off to the side.  I looked at her confused, but my mind quickly understood her determined expression.

"I'll tell her tonight when we get home," I said flatly.

Opal searched my eyes before her shoulders relaxed. "If you need me, I'm only a call away."

I nodded, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you."

We heard clapping from the lobby and watched as Mako came out with his arm slung around Bolin's shoulders and a smile on his face.  Each of us took turns congratulating Mako after Lin informed him that he was being bumped up to detective.  With all good news, though, life is sure to continue moving forward.  Tenzin went on to remind us that we had little time to celebrate with the threat of Unalaq still hanging over us, and I had no doubt that he was still worried out of his mind over Jinora's safety.  The problem then was that we didn't know what our next step was going to be now that we knew of Unalaq's true intention and Korra's return.

"I think I know just the person to talk to," Bolin announced.  I wasn't confident when he told us who he had in mind.

Mako, Bolin, Opal, Rin, Korra, and I all found ourselves standing outside of Varrick's lavish prison cell with Lin watching over our questioning.  Varrick smiled proudly at his new space. "Do you like it?  I had it specially made in case I was ever brought in."

I gave Zhu Li a sad smile as she brought out tea for them, and she returned it with one of her own. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Don't tell me you guys are still mad about everything that happened?" Varrick asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You may have done some good things, like saving my company, but it wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't been attacking my ships in the first place, Varrick," I answered with a bite. "And kidnapping the President?  Really?"

Varrick waved me off. "It's not like I was going to hurt him or his wife.  I just needed to start a war."

Rin took a step forward. "We're ending the war, Varrick.  Where's all of Asami's equipment?  The mechas that she was going to send to Korra's father and his men?"

Varrick looked at us none-too-concerned. "The Future Industries stuff?  It's on my battleship."

Opal narrowed her eyes. "You...have a battleship?"

Varrick tilted his head to the side a little. "Of course I did.  I bought the first one that was made.  Pays to have riches already at your disposal thanks to family.  Named her the Zhu Li."

I looked up to see a slight blush over Zhu Li's cheeks.  It had always been hard to tell between those two, but Varrick's naming of his battleship for Zhu Li seemed to only solidify my suspicions.

Varrick took the tea that Zhu Li offered to him, taking a small sip of it. "Look, I am truly sorry for the mess I caused.  Let me make it up to you.  Take my battleship and everything on it."

Korra looked to our group. "It's not the fleet we were looking for, but it's the next best team."

Bolin whooped in anticipation, bringing all of us into a huge group hug. "Team Avatar is back in business!"

I smiled at them as Bolin let us all go, but the restless pit in my stomach wouldn't subside.  We were about to go head-to-head against Unalaq and his dark spirit forces.  There was no telling what was waiting for us down in the South Pole, but we had to push through it.  The fate of the world rested on our shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly but surely we are making our way through First Love. Book 2 wasn't my favorite of the four seasons, but I am trying my best to give you guys the best I can. I've already started plans on Book 3, so stay tuned for upcoming news.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the chapter or what you'd like to see in Book 3.


	13. Traveling to the South Pole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now is the time to take the battle to Unalaq. Is the Krew prepared for Harmonic Convergence?

It took a few days to gather supplies and men for the trip down to the White Lotus Compound, and the two days of travel only seemed to make the trip feel longer.  On the second night, I wasn't surprised to find Korra outside watching the waves of the ocean as the  _Zhu Li_ continued its course towards the South Pole.  So many things weighed on her mind, and I couldn't find the proper words, the proper actions, to help ease her worries.  I walked over to her, clearing my throat to let her know that I was here before placing my hand on her arm.  She looked at me, and I could see the small look of hope resting in her eyes.

I smiled a little at her, trying to keep my fears in check so as to not add onto hers. "It'll be alright, Korra.  We'll find a way to stop Unalaq and save Jinora."

Korra looked at me for a moment before nodding and returning her attention out to the ocean.  She was quiet a moment before finding her voice. "I hope my dad's alright."

I bit my lip.  Her parents held a large piece of her heart, almost as large as her feelings for me if not more, and knowing that she was constantly worrying only made me more determined to help her through this.  I wrapped my arms around her waist, gently pulling her close as I laid my chin on her left shoulder.  Her arms covered mine, holding me as close to her as she could.

"I'm sure he's fine, Korra.  You just have to keep believing that," I whispered as I watched her out of the corner of my eye.

Korra nodded, her focus not wavering from the direction of our destination.  We would stay outside for another ten minutes before enough coaxing from me finally got through to Korra, and she followed me inside to rest.  Sleep didn't come easy afterwards, and when it did come, it was dreamless with a sense of dread hovering over me.  I tried my best not to let it affect me the next morning in hopes that it would help Korra keep the little hope she was holding on to.

Kya spent majority of the trip keeping Jinora's body in a tub of healing water, her waterbending and healing knowledge that Katara had taught her years before the only things keeping Jinora's body in a state that would be ready for her soul to return to it.  Bumi sat with Oogi, often playing a melody on a flute so as to keep himself distracted and the spirits of the rest of us high.  I watched as Korra trained with Tenzin, Bolin, and Mako, her mind focused on preparing for her inevitable battle against her uncle.

I had been watching Korra for a little over half an hour when Rin walked over to me, her eyes watching Korra's movements as she fought against Mako.  She stood next to me quiet for a few minutes before a whisper escaped her. "Have you told her yet?"

I knew Rin was talking about the two kisses during Korra's absense, and it only made the pit in my stomach grow deeper and my mood sour. "No.  Not yet."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Yes.  I'm not doing it right now though, Rin.  It's not the right time, and she has other important matters to be focused on."

It was then that Korra's words caught my attention, her determined demeanor almost projecting from her body. "I'm going to close the spirit portals, lock Vaatu in for another 10,000 years, and make Unalaq wish he'd never been born!" She shouted as she firebent towards the training dummy she had been practicing against.

The head of the dummy was burnt off from its body, and it rolled towards me as it landed.  I could see Mako's and Bolin's surprised expressions from Korra's outburst, and I could feel the knot in my chest twisting tighter.  I picked up the dummy's head, handing it to Korra when she made her way over to Rin and I.  I gave Korra a small smile as I handed the head to her.

She smiled back, placing a kiss on my cheek. "Something you need?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm good.  Just enjoying watching you train is all," I answered a bit too quickly.

Korra heard the rushed answered, her eyes looking at me for a moment longer before nodding and returning to the training dummy.  I watched her reattach its head before going to speak with Kya and Tenzin.  Rin's hand on my shoulder caught me by surprise as I turned toward her.

"You have to tell her, Asami," Rin said, and I could feel the hard stance in her voice.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Do you expect me to drop it on her right now, Rin?  On top of her this stuff going on with her tribe, Unalaq, and Vaatu?  I will tell her, Rin.  I know this isn't something I can hold from her, but I will find the right time to tell her, and it won't be right this instant," I almost hissed at her, pulling my shoulder away from her hard.

It was then that I noticed Darvy rushing out to me.  When I had inquired about any of my employees wanting to help on our expedition to the South Pole, he was the first to volunteer, and it helped that he had prior experience as a sailor.  It was the worry on his face that sent a chill down my back.

"Ms. Sato, I just received a distress signal," he said through panted breathes. "From the Southern troops."

At the mention of the Southern troops,  Korra's full attention was on Darvy. "What's happened?"

Darvy's eyes looked down before meeting Korra's gaze head-on. "Your father and a large group of his forces have been detained."

The color in Korra's face drained at the news.  I walked over to her, taking her hand in mine before looking to Darvy. "How much farther until we reach the South Pole?"

"About thirty minutes."

I nodded. "Head for the direction of the White Lotus Compound.  That's where the Southern troops headquartered themselves."

Darvy nodded, rushign back to the bridge.  I turned to Korra, finding her staring down at her feet.  Her emotions were quickly passing over her face, but a slight tug on her hand brought her back to reality.  I smiled softly at her, gently dragging her away from everyone else.  I didn't need to explain where we were going; it was clear that Korra needed space away from everyone to process the news.  As we left, I could feel Rin's gaze on me, but I stood firm in waiting until after the business with Unalaq was dealt with before I told Korra anything.

I sat with Korra in our room on the ship, watching and listening as she vented to me about everything.  There wasn't much I could say to help calm her mind, but I knew she appreciated me giving her an outlet.  Darvy came on the intercom to let us know that we had reached shore, and a small light of hope seemed to gather in Korra.

We exited the ship to find a few Southern troops waiting for us.  From how young they were, I assumed that they were not with the ones who were captured because they had acted as the reserves stationed at the Compound.  With snowmobiles waiting for us, we watched as Tenzin took Bumi, Kya, and Jinora's body on Oogi before the rest of us grabbing a snowmobile and following them.  Senna was waiting for us when we arrived, and Korra spent little time turning her snowmobile off before sprinting to her mother.  It tugged at my heart seeing their hug, and the memory of my mother slipped through my mind.

I walked over to Korra, Senna giving me a smile as I joined them. "I'm so happy you're both here."

Korra smiled a little before her expression turned serious. "Where are they keeping Dad?"

Tears began to appear in Senna's eyes, and instinctively, Korra pulled her mother into a hug. "I don't know."

Korra's eyes met mine, and the fierce determination seemed to only have its fire fanned hotter. "I'll get him back, Mom.  I promise."

Tenzin walked over to us, Jinora's body in his arms. "Where's my mother?" He asked Senna.

She wiped her eyes and gently moved out of Korra's embrace to face Tenzin. "She's in the healing hut."

Korra and I followed Tenzin and his siblings to the healing hut.  When the door was opened, a soft gasp escaped my lips.  There were dozens of men and women injured, and I could see Katara moving around the hut with her other waterbenders, tending to the wounded.  When she finally turned to us, I could see the worry in Katara's eyes as she honed in on Jinora.

"What happened?" She asked as she moved towards Tenzin.

Tenzin's determination seemed to deflate at his mother's question. "Her spirit's trapped in the spirit world."

Katara's head snapped up at his answer. "How long has she been away?"

Sensing her brother's distress, Kya put a hand on Tenzin's shoulder before turning to her mother. "Almost a week.  I've been trying to keep her energy flowing, but I can feel her slipping away." The sadness that rang in her voice seemed to be the epitome of the conversation. "You're the only one who can help her now, Mom."

Katara quickly rushed us into the back where a pool of healing water was.  Tenzin eased his daughter's body into the water, watching as his mother began to waterbending the water around Jinora's body.  A moment passed as we watched Katara, though I could tell that Tenzin's worry was starting to get the best of him.

"How much longer can she stay like this?" He asked, his eyes moving back and forth between his mother and his daughter.

"I don't know, but she is very strong to have lasted this long," Katara answered, her eyes not moving off of her eldest granddaughter.

I could see Korra's jaw clench, and she quickly left the back room to go speak with the injured Southern troops.  Many had smiles on their faces as she came to speak with them, a small spark of hope in their eyes.  When she had the information that she needed, she motioned for us to follow.  I could see Tenzin's frustration at leaving his daughter behind, but the determination to stopping Unalaq overpowered it to a large degree.  Mako, Bolin, Opal, and Rin saw us exit the healing hut and quickly made their way over to join us.

Korra looked to our group, her confidence strong and firm. "I spoke with the rebels, and they said Unalaq's got the southern portal surrounded.  Harmonic convergence is only a few hours away."

"Then we have to break through the enemy lines ourselves," Tenzin announced, not trying to hide his anger.

The rest of us looked between Korra and Tenzin, seeing the matching expressions of determination on their faces.  We all knew the risks of coming down, but we currently had no way of getting through the blockade.  As Bumi began to speak about another one of his war stories, one that we all could feel was too fictional to be real, an idea started to come to me.  By the look on Rin's face, she had begun to think of the same idea.  As Tenzin began to snap at his older brother, I quickly made my way to jump in front of Tenzin.

"Wait, I think Bumi is on to something," I said, looking at Bumi before returning my eyes to Tenzin. "We may not have a catapult, but we do have Oogi, and there's a plane on Varrick's ship." My attention turned to Korra. "Maybe we can attack from above."

Opal's eyes narrowed at me. "Just what crazy idea do you have running through your head right now?" She asked, her hand taking Bolin's.

"Mako, Bolin, and I use the plane to create a distraction and scatter some of the defenses.  The rest of you can fly into the spirit portal on Oogi when there's an opening," I explained.

Korra bit her lip as she listened to my plan, and I knew she was conflicted about letting me participate in something this dangerous.  In all honesty, what she and the rest of them would face in the spirit world worried me more than creating a distraction with the plane.  About to voice my reasons to keep with the plan, I heard Rin chuckle.  I looked at her confused, only for her to give me a smirk.

"You really think I'm going to let you fly that plane into who knows what?" She asked, taking a step forward.

My eyes narrowed. "Rin, this isn't up for debate."

Her expression turned serious. "I know it's not, Asami.  That's why I'm going to fly the plane." She held her hand up. "I'm going to fly the plane that way you can go with Korra into the spirit world.  I'm just as good as you are in piloting those planes, and I know most of your thoughts would be too focused on Korra anyways."

I looked at her surprised, and I could see similar expressions on everyone else's faces.  A moment passed before I nodded. "Thank you, Rin."

Rin waved off my thanks, looking to Korra. "Let's get this started."

Korra nodded, walking over to the snowmobile we had ridden in on.  As the others left to go prepare, I walked over to Korra, my hand on her shoulder.  She tensed up a bit then relaxed when she saw it was only me.  I gently placed my hand on her cheek, rubbing a small circle with my thumb.

"Are you going to be ok?" I asked, my eyes searching hers.

Korra took a deep breath in before letting it back out. "I won't be until I've defeated Unalaq and Vaatu," she said as she turned towards me. "I'm more worried about you though."

I looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"

"We're about to go do something that's so risky that we might lose everything.  I know it'd be selfish to ask for you to stay here where it's safe, but I know you'd never listen to me if I did."

I smiled. "We're in this together, Korra.  I couldn't stand myself if I let you go into something this dangerous without me.  I love you."

Korra smiled, leaning forward to kiss me softly. "I love you too.  I'm sorry I haven't told you that as often as I should, but I do."

I kissed her back, placing both of my hands on her cheeks. "There's no need to apologize, Korra.  I love you too."

She smiled, taking my hand, and we walked over to the ship.  Rin had already started the pre-flight procedures for the plane, so I left Korra to talk to Bolin and Mako to help her in the checks.  As she moved to the cockpit, Rin looked at me.  I bit my lip, hoping she wasn't going to ask me the question I knew was burning in her chest, but all she did was nod.  She started the propellers, the noise they made starting to drown out the conversation around us.  Before it could get any louder, I gripped her arm, making Rin look at me.  I mouth for her to be safe, and she smiled and nodded a confirmation.  Realizing there was nothing left for me to say, I turned to Mako and Bolin, hugging them each before telling them both to be safe as well.

We watched as Bolin climbed onto the left wing and Mako climbed onto the right.  Rin began to take off on the ship's runway, and soon they were climbing into the air.  The rest of us piled onto the back of Oogi, and Tenzin had him up in the air, leading the way towards the Southern spirit portal.  Once we were close enough, Rin gave Tenzin a thumbs up, signaling for him to move higher into the air so that the distraction could begin.

As the clouds began to disappear around us, I could see the large amount of troops and the various mechas that were originally supposed to be used against the Northern troops lined up in their defenses, prepared for our attempt to attack.  My stomach dropped at the sight, and my heart sank as the dark spirits that crowded around the top of the portal began to realize we were coming towards them.  This was the battle that was to decide our future, and it was already looking darker by the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback. A lot of feedback has given me ideas as to how to proceed with the following installments, so I thank you for continuing to follow this journey with me.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr for any updates about this installment or anything that is to follow!


	14. Attacking the portal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Krew has arrived at the portal. Now it's up to them to stop Harmonic Convergence.

I watched as the plane carrying Rin, Bolin, and Mako towards the Southern spirit portal flew through shards of ice that were being launched into the sky by Northern troops.  Rin expertly dodged the shards, and I knew the screaming I could hear was originating from Bolin.  The plane started to dive into the camp, and soon Mako's fire was creating explosions along defenses.  They dove back into the camp towards the mechas, and as soon as they were clear, explosions sounded off.  I smiled, grateful that the explosives previously used on my ships could take down multiple mechas at a time.

As Oogi moved us closer to the portal, Korra looked on with worry. "There are so many dark spirits here.  I don't see an opening."

As Tenzin went to steer Oogi towards the back of the portal, dozens of dark spirits began to make their way towards us.  I tried my best to help fend off the spirits with Opal, but one managed to latch onto Oogi.  We were rapidly losing altitude as Korra and Kya continued to try their best to defend us.  I watched as Bumi began to attack another spirit before both of them were lost to the snow below us.

"Bumi!" I shouted, reaching towards where he had just been a moment before.

Opal quickly grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back. "He'll be fine, Asami!  Focus on helping Korra!"

I looked at her then at Korra, seeing matching looks of determination before looking towards the sky.  Rin and the boys were still doing their best to create a distraction with the plane, and it gave me some hope.  The hope was quickly dashed when I caught sight of Unalaq's two children waterbending towards the plane.  Twin water streams shot into the air, tearing the back end off of the plane.  I watched in horror as the plane began to dive towards the nearby mountains.  We could hear the crash, and the smoke that emanated from it.

"No!" Opal screamed beside me, and it was my turn to hold her.

Oogi roared as we continued to dive towards the ground before we too crashed to the ground.  Opal and I were thrown from our seats, the impact too great to keep my mind conscious.  The darkness began clouding my mind, but not before I heard what could only be Korra's call of my name reached my ears.   _Korra_ _..._

* * *

 

My eyes began to slowly open, and the pounding in my head only intensified as the little light that was above me came into focus.  Groaning, I rolled over slowly, trying my best to sit up.  Looking up, I saw Korra crouched beside her father, who was chained to a pole.  Nearby was Tenzin, Kya, and Opal, but Tenzin was the only one conscious.

Tenzin smiled at me as I started to sit up. "Asami, you're awake.  Good."

At the mention of my name, Korra's attention snapped to me.  She moved as best she could over to me, her hands gently cupping my face.  I smiled a little at her before a rustling at the doorway caught our attention.  Rin, Bolin, and Mako were all thrown into the room with us, and I could hear Rin hiss loudly as she landed on her side.  I bit my lip as I glared at Unalaq's children and the guard they had with them.

Mako looked up at us, a sad smile on his face. "We tried," he said before looking towards Rin. "She was able to fight a few off of us, but she also took the brunt of the attack."

I looked over at Rin, her breathing hard and labored, before another rustling brought my attention back to the door as Unalaq entered.  His smile was wide and confident, and my anger continued to build.

"Congratulations, everyone.  You've all got front-row seats for the beginning of the new world order," he announced, his hands moving to behind his back.

Korra turned her body towards him. "You don't know what you're doing, Unalaq.  Freeing Vaatu won't make you powerful.  It will only make you a traitor to everything good that's happened for the last 10,000 years."

Unalaq's eyes narrowed at Korra. "You think what Avatar Wan did was good?  Driving almost all the spirits form this world?  The Avatar hasn't brought balance, only chaos." He leaned down so that he was eye-to-eye with Korra, a smirk on his lips. "You call yourself the bridge between the two worlds, but there shouldn't be a bridge." He straightened up, looking around at all of us. "We should live together as one."

Korra kept her glare on Unalaq. "Even if Vaatu escapes, I'll put him right back in his prison, just like Wan did."

Unalaq's smirk never fazed. "It's true that, when Wan fused with Raava, he tipped the scales in her favor.  But this time, I'll be here to level the playing field." He lifted his chin slightly. "When harmonic convergence comes, I will fuse with Vaatu.  And together, we will become the new Avatar.  A Dark Avatar." Everyone in the room looked at Unalaq with surprise, even his children. "Your era is over, Avatar Korra."

Tonraq slowly leaned back against the pole, and I could now see the cuts and bruises that littered his face. "Think about what you're doing.  I know that you've always had a deep connection with the spirits, but you're still a man," he pleaded to Unalaq. "You're still my brother.  You're Eska and Desna's father.  Are you willing to throw your humanity away to become a monster?"

Unalaq chuckled at Tonraq's plea. "I'll be no more of a monster than your own daughter.  The only difference is that, while she can barely recognize her own spiritual power, I will be in complete alignment with mine.  Vaatu and I will be as one.  No one will be able to stand against us." He turned to his children, eyes narrowed at their concerned expressions. "Keep them locked up.  After harmonic convergence, I will come for Korra."

Eska nodded. "Yes, Father," she said, watching with her brother as Unalaq left with his two guards.

My focus remained on Eska and Desna, the anger in my chest reaching a boiling point, until I heard Rin hiss again.  I turned towards her and could see the color falling from her face.  Kya was awake now, and she quickly moved from Tenzin's side to Rin's.  She placed her hands over Rin's side, but I could see the fear that was in her eyes.  Rin was hurt, and it was getting worse.

Kya looked up at Eska and Desna. "Do either of you know healing?"

Both shook their heads, but even I could see Desna's sorrow for Rin's pain.  I moved from Korra over to Rin, gently moving her head onto my lap. "Shh.  It's going to be alright," I whispered, watching pain rush through her facial expressions.

Rin grunted in pain, turning her head towards Korra. "Forget about me.  We have to get Korra out of here to stop Unalaq."

"You're not going anywhere," Eska snapped at Rin, but Rin just smiled back at her.

Korra looked at me before looking at Eska and Desna. "Please.  You've got to help us stop Unalaq.  I know he's your father, but Vaatu has made him completely crazy."

Eska took a step forward towards us. "We will never turn on our father."

"Please, if you let me out now, I can still stop him from destroying everything.  Once he fuses with Vaatu, no one will be safe.  Desna, he won't be your father anymore," Korra pleaded.

A mix of emotions swarmed Desna's face before he stomped towards Korra. "You don't know what you're talking about.  Our father is the wisest man in the world.  If he says what he is doing is right, I believe him," he answered, his face dropping as he realized what he was saying.

Suddenly, a commotion outside caught our attention.  We could hear the revving of one of the mechas as it moved back and forth, and it sounded as if tents were being knocked down.  We heard shouting of the men around us when Bumi launched into the room on a seat, knocking Desna and Eska off of their feet.  His bright smile was a sight for sore eyes.

"Alright guys, rescue time!" He boldly announced as Eska and Desna rose to their feet behind him.

Before we could warn Bumi, Nala rushed into the room, knocking Desna into Eska, and both of them hit their heads on Bumi's chair.  Nala looked expectedly at Korra and I, her tail wagging back and forth, and all I could do was laugh at her doggy smile.  Bumi came over and helped Korra out of her chains before moving on to the rest of us.  I was quick to help Rin out of hers before Kya made her way over to Rin.  Rin winced at her body being straightened out, but she started to relax as Kya started to do her healing.

"She has a lot of internal bleeding.  I can stop some of it, but we need to get her back to the Compound," Kya said, looking up at me.

I nodded, watching as Bumi gently picked Rin up while the boys helped Tonraq to his feet.  When we left the room, I was surprised to see the entire encampment destroyed, the remaining troops in pain on the ground around us.

"How did you manage to destroy the entire encampment by yourself?" Tenzin asked, looking to his brother.

Bumi puffed out his chest. "I did it all with my trusty flute and-" he began before a realization dawned on him. He sighed. "Oh, never mind.  You wouldn't believe it anyway."

Our group quickly made our way closer to the spirit portal, spotting Oogi on the way by.  We quickly rushed over, and I watched as Rin was lifted onto Oogi's harness with care by Bolin.  After a firm stance by Korra, Tonraq soon joined Rin.  Opal looked to us before giving Bolin a hug and turning to Korra and I.

"I'll take them back to Senna and Katara right away so that they can both get some healing," she said, though I could see the worry in her eyes.

I smiled at her, walking over and drawing her into a hug. "Don't worry, Opal.  We'll be fine, I promise."

Opal nodded before looking to Korra. "Just come back.  All of you.  Please."

Korra nodded, her signature smirk on her face. "We will.

Opal nodded, giving Bolin one last hug before climbing onto Oogi and leaving with Rin and Tonraq.  As we watched them leave, my heart seemed to beat faster at the danger that we were about to walk in to.  Fingers wrapped around my hand, and I looked to see Korra standing beside me.  In her eyes, I could see the determination, and it seemed to bleed into my body as well.  She smiled at my newfound confidence before looking to the rest of our group.

"Once we're inside, you go find Jinora," she said to Tenzin and his siblings. "Bolin and Mako will take care of Unalaq, while Asami covers my back as I close the portals.  Vaatu isn't escaping the spirit world."

Bolin quickly held up his hands to stop Korra from continuing. "Wait a second.  Worst-case scenario.  So we're fighting Unalaq, you close the portals, and let's just say something happens to you.  Are we going to be trapped in there for eternity?"

I swallowed at the thought of something happening to Korra while we're in the spirit world, but I couldn't help but agree with Bolin's worrying.  Korra saw my growing worry, squeezing my hand before turning back to Bolin. "If everything goes as planned, we'll all walk out together after harmonic convergence.  If not..." She looked at all of us, leaving my eyes for last.  A sigh escaped her before she turned to the spirit portal. "Let's go."

One by one, each of us ran into the spirit portal, and even I wasn't prepared for the beauty that came into view.  The colors around us were vibrant, and it felt as if I had stepped into a dream.  To a distance, I saw a tree that was surrounded by dark spirits with Unalaq standing in front of it.  It was then that I saw him:  Vaatu.  I could only describe him as a black and red jellyfish type creature, but even from this far away, I could sense the chaos that his being seemed to emit.  My hand was quick to find Korra's, and I couldn't help but squeeze it hard.

Korra looked at me and smiled softly before turning back towards Unalaq and Vaatu.  The darks spirits that surrounded the tree began their approach towards us with Unalaq riding one of them. "Tenzin, go find Jinora."

Tenzin nodded, rushing off with his siblings.  I watched as Korra went into the Avatar state, her eyes glowing white for a moment, before she airbent a large row of wind towards the dark spirits and Unalaq.  I slid my glove onto my hand as I watched Unalaq launch himself into the air.  The blast of air knocked the spirits back, but Unalaq continued his advance, landing on his feet bending a column of water at us.  The boys continued to fight Unalaq as I moved back with Korra, my body tensed as I watched the fight in front of us.

I wasn't prepared for the rush of energy that blasted from behind me as Korra attempted to close the portal.  Bolin and Mako continued to press against Unalaq's advantage, but Mako was caught off guard and hit with a stream of water while midair.  That's when I heard Vaatu's voice for the first time, the sound sending a shiver down my back.

"You're running out of time, Raava," he said, as if he had a smile. "I know you feel it coming."

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from behind me, launching me forward to the ground, and soon Korra landed on her back beside me.  I turned to see the beam from the portal start to bend towards the tree, and the other portal's beam was doing the same.  The blue and orange lights crackled as lightning ripped through them on their continued path towards each other, and when they met, a bright light encompassed the space around us.  Lightning continued to crackled around us from the beams, and I could almost sense the fear that was coming from Korra.

A loud boom sounded above us, and I saw the beams turns yellow before the sky above us turn to a violet color.  All the lightning that was caused by the beams centered on the tree holding Vaatu, a red light from the center of the tree growing by the second.  An explosion rippled around us, and we saw Vaatu rush out of his prison, his form a hundred times greater than what had just been in the tree.  I stood up slowly, watching as Vaatu rose into the sky, turning towards the five of us that remained.  He laughed manically as he hovered over us.

My heart sank as the realization hit.  It's all up to Korra now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay; School and my new job caught up with me. First Love is nearing the end with only a couple more chapters to go. Once First Love is finished, I will be going into the third part of this series. Stay tuned for the next chapter as the new title will be revealed then!
> 
> Let me know what you think of the chapter, and stay tuned on Tumblr for any updates!


	15. 10,000 Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unalaq has freed Vaatu. Will Korra be able to stop the evil spirit from fusing with Unalaq in time?

When I was younger and my mother was still alive, I used to go to her with all of my worries.  My father was still in the early success of Future Industries, so he was away for most of the day.  Whenever I scraped a knee or would have a nightmare, my mother was always there for me.  One memory of her still stays close to my heart.

A week before the home invasion, my mother took me out to the park, watching as I chased the birds around.  As I ran off further from her, I came across a flower that was slowly wilting away.  My mother found me knelt beside it, trying to see if there was any way I could help make it bloom once more.  She found it sweet that I had come to care for the smaller things around me, helping me to move away some of the branches that had grown to block the sunlight from the flower.

"Under every shade of darkness, Asami, is a light.  It can come in many forms, just like this flower," she had whispered in my ear, gently pulling me close.

A couple days after her death, my father had taken me to the park in hopes that it would ease my mind off of the past few days.  Subconsciously, I had found myself walking over to the flower, which had started to grow into a beautiful lily.  When I had pointed it out to my father, he had smiled at my story.  That flower had proven my mother's words true.  In every darkness, there is some light that will shine brightly.

* * *

 

Korra walked up to my side, her focus set on Vaatu as he hovered above Unalaq. "Raava, nothing could stop this moment.  Harmonic convergence is upon us again," he proclaimed.

Korra took a fighting stance, while my glove began to crackle as I brought it to life. "I'm not going to let you fuse with Unalaq.  You're going right back into that prison."

I could see Unalaq smile as Vaatu swept towards him.  Korra was quick to respond, her eyes glowing in the Avatar State as she firebent at Vaatu.  Her fire met its mark, striking Vaatu before he could enter Unalaq.  Summoning up a column of air, Korra wrapped it around Unalaq and pulled him away from the tree.  She shifted the air, forcing it to send Uanalq out of the southern spirit portal.

Korra looked to the three of us. "Don't let Unalaq back in the spirit world."

I nodded before looking at Mako. "Stay with her.  She's going to need all the help she can get against Vaatu.  Bolin and I will go take care of Unalaq."

Mako nodded, rushing towards Korra and sending a blast of fire at Vaatu.  I watched them for a moment before turning to Bolin. "Let's go."

He nodded, turning towards the portal and jumping through it first.  I was close behind, my glove crackling as I entered the forest that surrounded the portal.  There was no sign as to where Unalaq had been thrown to, forcing Bolin and I to take defensive stances.  My head was on a swivel as I searched the immediate area around us.  it was too quiet, and my instincts were screaming trap.  I was about to say something to Bolin when the ground behind us started to shake, ice forcing its way up and apart as Unalaq sent shards and boulders of it our way.

Bolin was quick to throw up an earth wall in front of us, allowing me to hide beside it.  I peeked over the wall as Bolin threw pieces of earth towards where the ice had come from, but there was no sign of any counters.  I kept myself behind the wall of earth, my eyes peeled over the wall for any new attacks, when I heard a whistling sound coming from behind me.  Bolin and I turned to see more ice shards coming at us, and we jumped in opposite directions, saving us from the shards but putting distance between the both of us.

I continued to dodge the ice shards that came at us from every direction, and I could see how much effort Bolin was giving throwing his boulders at the directions of the ice shards. "I don't know if we can win this fight," he said as his back pressed up against mine.

My eyes scanned the surrounding treeline. "We don't need to win.  We just need to stop Unalaq from getting back into the spirit world.  We need to give Korra enough time to put Vaatu back in his prison."

More whistling sounds caught our attention, and Bolin was quick enough to throw up another wall.  We couldn't pinpoint an absolute position on Unalaq, and his waterbending of the snow around us to make the ice shards only made it harder as we were forced to constantly dodge them.  I looked back towards the spirit portal, hoping that there was going to be some sign of Korra's victory over Vaatu.  Bolin peeked over his wall, looking towards the treeline where the latest shards had originated.

He looked at me, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe he went home?" He asked, a bit of hope in his voice.

It was then that Eska popped her head out from around the corner, a sneer on her face. "Hello, my feeble duckling."

Bolin screamed before a column of water knocked him onto his back.  I was too slow to react before Desna came up on my left, sending a similar column of water at me.  I collided with Bolin, biting my lip as I stood up.  Bolin and I had just taken defensive stances when a third column caught us in our blindspots, knocking us to the ground once more.  My head felt like it was spinning, and I could vaguely see Unalaq riding a wave of water towards us.  My mind began to panic at his smile as he moved towards the portal, but I couldn't stop my conscious falling into the darkness.

* * *

 

Opening my eyes, I found myself surrounded by white space.  There was nothing around me.  I pinched my arm, flinching.   _Ok, not dead.  Or...at least I don't think I am._ I ran my hands through my hair as I spun around.  Korra was still battling Vaatu, and now Unalaq was on his way to merge with Vaatu.  I needed to wake up.  I needed to help Korra and Mako.  I needed to-

"You need to take a moment to relax, Sweetheart."

I paused at the voice, spinning around at the newcomer.  It was the same woman from earlier in the year after I had been hospitalized following the Battle for Republic City.  After a near death experience, she and an older gentleman had appeared to me.  There was no sign of the gentleman, but the woman's smile still felt familiar to me.

"I don't understand.  Who are you, and where am I?" I asked, taking a step towards her.

The woman smiled sadly at my question. "We don't have much time, Asami.  The last time I saw you, you had just been attacked by Amon.  Now, with your proximity to the spirit world, I'm able to visit once more, but it's to help you find your way back." Her expression turned serious. "Unalaq is threatening both the living and the spirits.  You have to help Korra stop Unalaq and Vaatu."

I bit my lip. "I don't even know how I got here!  How am I supposed to help Korra when I'm a non-bender going up against one of the most powerful spirits the world has ever known?"

The woman smiled. "Love is the most powerful thing in this world.  Soon, Korra is going to need your strength.  Never stray from her.  You are the one person that Unalaq and Vaatu could never have planned for."

I looked down. "But...I haven't even told her about what happened between Rin and I."

Fingers gently cupped my chin, lifting my head up so that my eyes were looking in hers. "She loves you, and you love her.  Trust me when I tell you that your love will prevail."

"How do you know?"

I don't know how I couldn't see it before, but the love that seemed to project out of her smile gave me all the confidence that I needed. "It's a mother's intuition."

I looked at her for a moment before recognition began to sink in, and I couldn't help the tears that began to well up in my eyes.  Before I could say anything, her image began to fade, and the world around us began to turn black.  I tried reaching out to her, but my arms were frozen to my sides.  Her image started to float away from me, and all I could do was watch as she mouthed one last thing before my vision was surrounded in darkness.

_I love you._

* * *

 

There was a pounding headache behind my eyes, and it was only worsening by the bobbing motion my head was making as I was dragging along the ground.  I blinked my eyes open slowly, seeing I was being dragged away from the portal.  I looked out the corner of my eye, seeing that Bolin on my right.  I could see he was conscious as well, and I gave him a slight nod.  The crackling of my glove was all the warning Desna had before I gripped his calf, sending a shock up his body.  Bolin swung his legs around, pushing off of Eska to put space between them.  As the twins stumbled back, Bolin shot two columns of earth at them, hitting both square in the chest, as I ran towards the portal.  As I came out on the other side of the portal, I could see Vaatu rising into the air, but the fear in my chest only started to tighten when I saw Korra and Mako on the ground.

"Korra!" I screamed, running over to her.

I was so close before water surrounded my body, freezing solid in an instant.  I struggled in vain to free myself, watching helplessly as Korra managed to bring herself to her hands and knees.  Mako struggled to his feet but too was imprisoned in a block of ice.  We watched as Vaatu made his way towards Unalaq, but Korra wasn't about to give up the fight.  She threw two strikes of fire at the two, but they were easily deflected by Unalaq.  We watched as Vaatu's form merged with Uanalq's, the strength of the fusion forcing Unalaq to his knees.

I looked to Korra, who was still struggling to regain her balance. "Korra!  You have to stop him!"

As Unalaq rose, his smile widened.  Faster than I could have thought possible, Unalaq's form moved in front of the far spirit portal, his hand reaching out to it.  Lightning began to pour from both portals, moving up the beam and colliding above Vaatu's former prison.  A purple stream began to envelop Unalaq, and we could hear his screams as a beam of purple light shot into the sky from him.  It was then that an explosion of light blinded us, and the fear in my chest threatened to strangle me.  Standing before us with red glowing eyes was a new Avatar.  The Dark Avatar.

Unalaq began to laugh as he looked towards us. "Now a new era for spirits and humans will begin, and I will lead them as the new Avatar."

Korra rose to her feet, taking a defiant step towards Unalaq. "Well, I'm the old Avatar, and my era's not over yet."

They rushed at each other, meeting blow for blow.  I struggled as hard as I could against the ice block, but the block held strong.  I looked to Mako and Bolin, and both were still struggling as well.  I watched helplessly as Korra fought against Unalaq, their power now on equal terms.  The two were too caught up in their battle that they rushed past us and right into the southern portal, taking their fight back to the human world.  A huff from my left catches my attention, and I turn to see Bolin doing his best puppy-dog expression towards Eska, tears running down his cheeks.   _What is he..._

"What is the reason behind this sudden outburst of emotion?" She asked as she moved in front of Bolin.

Bolin sniffed, letting his tears continued to run down his cheeks. "It's just...we will never be able to be together with the world ending.  I'm sorry for leaving, for not accepting your feelings.  It's just I was so scared of my own and how that would affect Opal.  I'm sorry I didn't choose you and that we'll never have a chance at a true relationship."

My eyes narrowed, the anger of Bolin's words starting to bubble, when the thought occurred.  Bolin would never risk his relationship with Opal; he was too scared of her mother to do anything of the sort, and I was sure Lin would throw him in jail.  He was playing Eska for a fool, and by the look on her face, it was working.  His ice block fell, Eska's arms opening for a hug as her brother watched in disgust, but Bolin was quick on his feet.  The moment his feet touched the ground, he threw blocks of earth at both of the twins, knocking them both unconscious.  Mako's and my ice blocks fell, free us to move on our own.

"We have to go help Korra!" I shouted, turning towards the portal.

I rushed through it, knowing that Mako and Bolin were right behind me.  The forest was empty of any battle, but we could hear the true battle from the direction of the camp.  I started sprinting in the direction of the fighting, praying that I wasn't too late.  As we got closer to the fighting, I was caught amazed at how amazing Korra was.  To watch her battle against Unalaq using all four of the elements was mind-blowing, and it made my heart fly as I watched her strike a blow against Unalaq.

"Go Korra!" I shouted, a smile on my face.

Hearing my shout, Korra looked towards me, fear on her face at the sight of the three of us running towards them, and it was the distraction that Unalaq needed.  He was able to pull her within arms reach with his waterbending, the ground around them crumbling under their combined power.  His head jerked in opposite directions before some type of energy rose from his mouth and launched towards Korra.  It latched on for a moment before beginning to pull back, pulling a white energy out of Korra.  The familiar shape of the white form caused my body to freeze.   _Raava_ _._

Korra fell to the ground, her eyes focusing on Raava as Unalaq encased her in a ball of water.  My hands clenched into fists at the sight of Korra, and I found myself sprinting towards Unalaq.  I could hear Mako and Bolin use their bending from me, and a few of their shots connected.  Raava fell to the ground once the sphere of water collapsed from Unalaq's change in focus to the three of us.  He launched a wave of snow and ice towards us, but only I was able to dodge the wave.  It launched Bolin and Mako off of their feet and into a nearby pile of snow, both unconscious from the impact.

I turned my anger towards Unalaq, dodging each of his attacks, but even I could see the amused look on his face.  I knew he overpowered me, but I couldn't let him take Raava away from Korra.  I had to give her some chance.  My glove powered to life, the crackling of lightning running through its fingertips, and I ducked underneath one last swing before reaching out towards his arm.  His smile creeped further up his face before a length of water wrapped around my arm and pulled back hard.  The pop from my shoulder sent me reeling in pain before a hard punch to the chest sent me flying back.

I hissed in pain as I sat up slowly, watching as Korra reached out to Raava.  A purple tentacle from Unalaq wrapped around Raava swinging her towards a rock and slamming her into it.  I watched helplessly as Unalaq continued to smash hit after hit into Raava, Korra jerking in pain with each new strike.  I could hear her whimpering in pain, and Raava's form seemed to grow smaller with each hit.  Korra reached out towards Raava with the last of her strength, the desperation growing with each passing moment.  Unalaq reached back for one last strike, hitting Raava and causing her form to dissipate.

Korra's hand dropped to the ground, her eyes closing from exhaustion, leaving me to watch Unalaq's form start to glow purple right in front of me.  The pain in my shoulder threatened to throw me under, but I could feel someone's arms gently wrapped around my chest.  I looked up slowly to see Mako behind me, and Bolin was quickly making his way to Korra, pulling her back away from Unalaq.  I hissed as Mako helped me to my feet and moved me away, even as Unalaq's new form started to grow in size.  I looked over at Korra, who hung limply against Bolin.

Unalaq's voice drew my attention back towards him. "Now, 10,000 years of darkness begins!" He proclaimed, a smile on his face.

He lifted his hand to the lights above him, and Mako and I watched as lightning swirled around his hand and his form began to disappear.  An explosion surrounding his sudden disappearance blasted us onto our backs, and I couldn't help but scream in pain as my shoulder hit the ground.  Tears ran down my face as I looked to Korra, whose eyes were closed.  Everything that she had fought against had won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I'm proud to announce the new title for the sequel to First Love!
> 
> The new story in the Ups and Downs of Love series will be War Path.
> 
> First Love is coming to an end, with what looks like 2 chapters remaining. Thank you so much for the support and comments in the chapters. I know that First Love was a bumpy road for the story, but it's through this bump that the story will continue to improve. I hope everyone is looking forward to War Path as I am, so stay tuned for updates in the next few chapters and on tumblr: @libs1317.


	16. The Words That Couldn't Be Said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unalaq and Vaatu are one. The rest is up to Korra, but will Asami be ready for the aftermath?

Someone was shouting.  It sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place the voice.  My eyes were heavy, and the pain my shoulder was unbearable.  I was in a haze, and the sudden touch on my shoulder sent a new wave of pain.  I don't remember if I screamed or not, but there was an urgency as I was picked up and moved.  They were quick in carrying me somewhere, but the pain continued to cloud my mind.  The splash of water around my face was a new sensation, and the pain began to wash away.  My thoughts began to clear, and the memory of the battle against Unalaq came rushing forward.  I sat up quickly, gasping for air, but the sudden movement sent a jarring pain through my shoulder.  It had been healed slightly but not all the way.

"Thank goodness you all are alright," I heard Tenzin say behind us as Kya moved to my injured shoulder.

Kya was quick to begin healing my shoulder as the others stood.  Korra rushed over to me, a hand on my cheek.  I gave her a small smile, which she returned before turning her attention to Tenzin. "Did you find Jinora?"

A sad smile enveloped her face. "I was able to find Jinora's soul, but she wasn't ready to return to her body yet.  She sensed the world was in grave danger."

Korra's eyes moved downward as she stood up. "She was right."

I turned my attention to Kya.  She moved her hands away, allowing for me to roll my shoulder.  There wasn't too much discomfort, but it was better than just minutes before.  Kya smiled, helping me to my feet as Tenzin walked over to Korra.

"Were you able to stop Unalaq and Vaatu?" He asked, but judging by his expression, he seemed to have already known the answer.

Korra shook her head. "No.  They fused, and Vaatu ripped Raava right out of me and...and destroyed her." Her voice shook as she recalled the attack on Raava. "Vaatu won."

I quickly walked over to Korra, taking her hand in mine. "We'll stop them Korra.  There's got to be a way," I said, squeezing her hand.

Bolin took a step towards us. "Can't you talk to one of your past lives or something?  See if Aang has any advice?"

I could feel Korra's grip tighten around my hand. "When Vaatu destroyed Raava, he destroyed my connection to the past Avatars too."

I swallowed hard. "If that's true then..."

Korra nodded. "The cycle is over." She looked up at our group. "I'm the last Avatar." Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and I pulled her as close to me as I could.

Tenzin walked over to us, placing a hand on Korra's shoulder. "The other Avatars may not be able to help you anymore, but perhaps I can."

Korra shrugged off Tenzin's hand and gently pushed me away. "No one can help me now."

The push seemed to cut deeper than I thought would, but I didn't want to push anything onto her right now.  Tenzin kept his eyes on her, not moving from his spot. "I know I haven't been the best mentor to you, but I realized it was because I had a lot of spiritual growth to do myself." He placed his hand on Korra's shoulder, and this time she didn't push him away. "There may still be a way for you to stop Vaatu."

Korra wiped her eyes and looked up at Tenzin. "How?"

Tenzin smiled softly. "Let go of your attachment to who you think you are and connect with your inner spirit."

Korra's shoulders dropped at his words. "Haven't you heard anything I said?  Raava is gone.  I'm not connected to a spirit anymore."

"I'm not talking about Raava, Korra.  Raava is not who you are," Tenzin clarified.  He began to walk towards Vaatu's former prison. "Come with me.  I need to show you something."

Korra looked at me for a moment, and I gave her the best supporting smile I could muster.  She reached her hand out to mine, and I was quick to take it, hoping that she could find some strength knowing that I wasn't leaving her side through this.  We quickly made our way after Tenzin, and even I was confused as to why he was leading us to the huge tree that once held the evil spirit.

"Why are you showing me Vaatu's prison?" Korra asked her mentor.

I was surprised to see a smile on Tenzin's face. "Because this tree had a history long before it held Vaatu.  This is the Tree of Time, and the legends say that its roots bind the spirit and physical worlds together."

I looked to Tenzin. "How is this tree going to help Korra?"

Tenzin looked to us. "I have read that long ago, the ancients would meditate beneath this tree and connect with the great cosmic energy of the universe."

Tenzin airbent himself up to the ledge of the opening, and Korra looked at me.  She held her arms out with a silent offer, and I nodded, a small smile on my face.  She picked me up gently and followed Tenzin up to the ledge.  She set me down carefully, and we both looked around the former prison.  On the outside, it looked to be just a regular holed out tree.  Suddenly, images began to appear in front of us.  I heard Korra gasp softly as she began to walk forward.

"These are my memories," she said softly, looking around as the images moved from one to another.

Tenzin walked forward, placing his hand on her shoulder. "The tree of Time remembers all.  Korra, the most powerful thing about you is not the spirit of Raava, but your own inner spirit.  You have always been strong, unyielding, and fearless."

A new image appeared, that of a young man with a soft smile.  I could see the recognition on Korra's face. "Avatar Wan."

I blinked looking back at the image of the first Avatar. "Before he fused with Raava, Wan was just a regular person," Tenzin explained, watching Korra's reaction.

Korra looked down at the ground before turning her eyes to Tenzin. "But he was brave and smart and always wanted to defend the helpless."

Tenzin nodded. "That's right.  He became a legend because of who he was, not what he was.  He wasn't defined by Raava any more than you are."

It was then that a few more images began to appear.  The image of Unalaq causing destruction in Republic City caught Korra's eye, but the images to the far left were the ones that caught my attention.  I walked past the two, my eyes focusing on the images of my memories coming into focus.  I could see memories of when I was younger, playing with my mother days before the break-in.  The memory of the time I met Opal and Kuvira played next to it.  Then the memory of Korra appeared, followed by our first kiss.  Then Rin at the Southern Water Tribe's Festival.  Then the first time she kissed me.  My heart sank, and silence surrounded me.

"Asami."

I turned, dreading how hurt Korra's voice sounded behind me.  She was by herself, though I was surprised by the lack of noise Tenzin made as he had left the tree.  I could see the pain in her eyes, the memory of my kiss with Rin playing before her eyes.  I moved to take a step forward, only to see her take a step back to keep herself away from me.  It was tearing my heart to pieces seeing her so upset like this.

"Korra, I-"

"Please go."

I blinked at her, my brain still trying process what was going on. "You want me to leave?"

Korra remained silent before looking at her feet.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and looked up to meet my eyes.  The determination in her eyes was inspiring and frightening at the same time. "Please, go help the others.  They're going to need your help so that I can defeat Unalaq."

I looked at her, searching her eyes for something, anything, that would tell me we would be ok.  There wasn't a single glint.  I nodded once, quickly moving past her and out to where the others were waiting.  I could see Mako look at me, confusion on his face, but I shook my head.  This wasn't the place, and we didn't have the time to talk about it.  A moment passed before a giant blue Korra emerged from the tree.  She looked towards the beam above us, each step she took towards it shaking the ground beneath our feet.  She reached out towards it, and in a flash, she was gone just as Unalaq had disappeared.  

Bumi was the first to break the silence around us. "Uh...what did you say to her, exactly?"

I bit my lip, my hand clenched in a fist over my heart.   _Please be safe,_ _Korra_ _._

* * *

 

There were spirits everywhere.  Angry, disfigured creatures rushing at us.  We all knew their target:  Korra.  All of the benders took defensive stances, each of them bending their elements into shots towards the charge of spirits.  Bumi and I did our best, tossing boulders at any spirit that got too close.  The waves of attacks were relentless, and they continued to force us back towards the tree and Korra.

It wasn't too long until Desna and Eska joined the fight against the spirits, tired of following their father, but even with their support, the spirits continued the charge towards Korra.  As we got closer, my chest started to tighten, making it hard to breathe.  As if sensing it, Mako was quick to wrap my arm over his shoulders, maneuvering me back towards the tree faster while trying to keep the spirits at bay.  Bumi quickly took over, taking me from Mako and moving me deep inside the tree near Korra.  My mind instantly went to worrying about her and the danger that she was in.   _Please don't let this be a sign._

I watched helplessly as Mako and Tenzin helped to pull everyone into the tree as the spirits continued to press.  Bolin rushed over to me, taking up a stance next to Bumi even as Mako was knocked back towards him.  Tenzin continued to airbend towards the spirits, even as they began to crowd around the entrance.  I looked towards Korra, reaching over and grabbing her hand as the darkness of the spirits began to envelop the inside of the tree.

"I love you, Korra," I whispered, my hand tight around hers.

An eruption sounded above us, and soon we were blinded by a bright light.  A ground-shuddering landing forced the spirits to dispell, and soon we saw the giant blue version of Korra stand with Raava and Jinora's spirit in her hands.  Jinora's spirit floated down as Tenzin walked towards it, a smile bright on her face.

"I'll see you soon, Dad," Jinora said, even as her spirit began to fade.  Tenzin reached out towards it, but there was still a smile on his face even as he missed his chance to touch her spirit.

Korra's giant blue version began to dissipate, and we watched as its remnants began to float back towards her body.  A moment passed before Korra walked out into our sights.  Raava made her way over to Korra, allowing for her to jump on it before rising towards the beam above us.  I watched as Korra reached out to the beam, an explosion at her touch forcing the beams apart once more.  The end of harmonic convergence had finally arrived, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Korra, once again fused with Raava, began to float down towards us. "Her Avatar spirit has returned," I heard Tenzin whisper softly.

As Korra landed on her feet, her eyes once again glowed white, confirming Tenzin's words. "It's over," she said soft but confidently.

Bolin and Mako were the first to run over to her, pulling her into a group hug.  She smiled at the two of them as Tenzin joined them. "I don't even know what to say," Mako said, his smile wide.

Bumi, Kya, Eska, and Desna all moved to join the group, but I chose to stay back and watch them.  I watched as Bolin enthusiastically described Korra's giant form, but I could see the pain in her eyes as she looked towards her cousins.  She gave Bolin a small smile before moving over to Eska and Desna.

"I'm sorry about your father, but he was already fused with Vaatu," she said to the twins, her head bowing slightly. "I couldn't save him."

Eska looked to her brother. "It seems cousin Korra is under the impression we are saddened by our father's demise," she said, causing Korra's head to snap up.

Desna turned to his sister. "But I will not miss him at all.  In the end, he became a deplorable man."

Eska's eyes narrowed. "Agreed." She sighed. "But how will we explain this to mother?"

As Bolin walked over to apologize for the fake proclamation of love to Eska, I noticed Korra's attention turn towards me.  Even as Tenzin tried to get her attention about the spirit portals, her eyes never left me.  I could hear her decision to keep them open, but the intensity of her stare made me feel smaller the longer she held it.  Seeing where Korra's attention truly laid, Tenzin gather the others and began to shuffle them towards the southern portal.  I watched as the group left, but it wasn't until they all were through the portal that Korra began to walk towards me.  She stopped just a few feet away from me.

We were quiet, both of us waiting on the other to start speaking.  I swallowed hard, not wanting to put this off any longer. "I know that me saying this won't change what has happened, but I am sorry, Korra.  I never meant to hurt you, but I also didn't want to add to the worries that you already had on your plate."

Korra was quiet at my words, the mixture of emotions running through her eyes.  She opened her mouth slightly before closing it, her mind racing through her words.  It took a moment before she found the right one to say. "Why."

I opened my mouth to respond, but it was then that I realized what my words would sound like.  I looked down at my feet, the true revelation of my actions catching up to me.  I took a deep breath and looked up. "I don't know, Korra.  I'm so sorry."

Korra took in my answer, the hurt in her eyes as bright as when she was in the Avatar State.  She looked away from me, and it took every ounce of my strength not to run to her.  She didn't want me near her, that was clear, but her next words nearly broke me then and there. "I think we need to take a break, Sami.  To figure out where we lie."

I knew those words were coming, but hearing them was a different ordeal.  I wanted to reach out to her, to beg for her forgiveness, but she was quickly shutting me away from her.  I drew more in towards myself, nodding once before moving towards the spirit portal that would lead back to the South Pole.  I stopped for a moment in front of the portal, looking back towards Korra.  She was looking towards the Tree of Time, and for a second, I thought I was staring at a different person.  She was someone else, and I had helped in changing her.  I had added to her pain, becoming the monster I had desperately tried to help keep her from.

I passed through the spirit portal, and Korra soon followed suit.  The others could tell that nothing was right between the two of us, but thankfully they let it be.  When we returned to the Compound, I was grateful to see Tonraq among those to greet us.  I watched with a slight twinge to my heart as Korra ran to her parents' awaiting arms.  Tenzin was quick to rush to his daughter, sweeping her up in almost a back-breaking embrace.  Opal rushed to Bolin and Mako, giving them both a hug.  With all the reunions, I chose to stay back.

I heard her approach before I saw her.  Rin was usually quite when she wanted to be, but her injuries made that difficult.  She stopped behind me, my shoulders already tensed at the incoming conversation.  I looked towards Korra, watching as she spoke with her parents with a small smile on her face.

"Shouldn't you be over there with her?" Rin asked softly.

I swallowed hard. "No.  We're...going through a rough patch."

"Asami, I-"

I turned to Rin, watching as she flinched slightly at the anger presented towards her. "Rin, just stop.  Don't be sorry because I know you're not.  I made my mistakes, and I'm not proud of them, but you don't know when to stop.  You knew I was with Korra, yet you continued to press.  Now look at where we are." I turned towards her, my hands clenching into fists. "I love her, Rin.  You and I will never be anything.  I want to be friends, I really do, but I don't know if that can happen anymore."

A hush fell over us, and I could tell the others were staring over towards us.  Rin bit her lip, her mind trying to find something, anything, to respond back to me.  I took a deep breath in and looked towards the rising sun before walking towards one of the snowmobiles.  I had just started it when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I turned to see Mako standing beside me, a silent question in his eyes.  I nodded, watching as he hopped onto the seat behind me.  We left the Compound to head back towards the Southern Water Tribe, my heart and my pain left behind us in a cloud of snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be a shorter one as the epilogue, but work has already begun on War Path. I haven't set a timetable as to when War Path will be out, but I will be setting a weekly-update schedule for it. Thank you all for those who have stayed with this series, and I promise, all this terrible writing will improve. Korrasami will only come out of this stronger.


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New beginnings are on the horizon.

"The War of the Water Tribes is over.  Unalaq  has been defeated, and the Northern fleet is returning home.  The Water Tribes will always be allies, but the Southern Tribe is now independent.  And the Southern Council of Elders has appointed my father, Tonraq, to be your new chief!"

I watched from the side as Korra led the appointment of Tonraq as the new Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, a smile bright on her face as her father joined her at the podium.  Mako stood with me, while the others chose to stand closer to Korra.  They all knew about our break-up and were respecting the distance we had chosen to put between us for the moment.  A quick search over the crowd confirmed my suspicions that Rin had already left for Republic City.  I had already given a call to my staff to help her move her things out of the mansion.

Korra's voice brought me back to the current ceremony. "I've realized that even though we should learn from those who came before us, we must also forge our own path." She took a deep breath before letting it out and raising her chin slightly. "That is why I've decided to keep the portals open.  Humans can now physically enter the spirit world, and spirits will be free to roam our world.  I will no longer be the bridge.  Humans and spirits must learn to live together.  My mission will always be to use Raava's light spirit to guide the world toward peace and balance.  Harmonic convergence has caused a shift in the planet's energy.  I can feel it.  Things will never be the same again.  We are entering a new age."

With the end of Korra's speech, cheers erupted, and celebration followed.  It wasn't long until we began the trip back to Republic City.  In regards to my school work, the semester ended the week after we returned.  I didn't pass my class with flying colors, but it was enough to get me by.  It was after my last final that work for Future Industries began to pick up.  After the fiasco that was Varrick Company, the last respectable industry companies left in Republic City were Cabbage Corp and Future Industries.  With the lackluster that was their workmanship, many chose to start offering contracts to us, and Future Industries was more than happy to get back to work.

Mako was shoved into his new detective role almost immediately after we landed in Republic City.  Lin was quick to put her star detective on some of the harder cases, but everyone could see how proud Mako was to take them up.  Bolin was forced to move in with the air acolytes after losing his income for the apartment, forcing Mako to start "living" at the police station.  Tenzin had offered a spot for Mako, but Mako was as stubborn as ever to stay at the station.

Thanks to a few favors, Korra, Bolin, and Opal were all able to graduate high school early.  Opal was leaving soon to go back to Zaofu to spend time with her family before she decided on where she wanted to go to college.  Korra began spending more time on her Avatar duties, becoming a workaholic like Mako, but I knew it was so that she wouldn't spend time thinking about our current situation.  Since our talk back in the spirit world, we hadn't found a moment to test where we were.  I was both grateful and depressed at it, the hole in my heart growing with regret each passing day.

As for me, I decided to take a break from RCU, at least for the time being.  The work with Future Industries was piling up fast, and trying to juggle the work with school wasn't becoming an option.  Eventually, I'd return to finish my degree, but until then, this was a better way for me to focus my mind.  The future was ever-changing, and I couldn't help but hope for a better turn.  Looking back now, there was no way I was ever going to be ready for the war path we were set on, but then again, there was nothing I could do to change it.

* * *

 

The room was quiet, matching the soundless night of the countryside.  She looked up at the sky, watching as a shooting star streaked across the stars above her.  A smile slowly started to grow, the pen in her hand lifting into the air with a little help of some airbending.

Unalaq may not have stopped Korra, but that didn't mean her plans were done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is quite short compared to the rest of the chapters. First Love wasn't my strongest work, but I already have a couple chapters of War Path written. I pleased to announce that next Monday, October 23rd, is when War Path will be debuting with weekly updates on Mondays. Thank you so much for sticking with this series, and I hope everyone will continue on to War Path!


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